Shining Destiny
by Silver7Sunrise
Summary: The story of a young boys' pokemon adventure and following rise to fame after being banned from the Pokemon League, set in an all new region. Reviews encouraged.
1. Meet Dot

**Author's note: This story is set in an all new region. In this region, ever-so-conveniently, all pokemon from generation 3 and before exist. I'm very unfamiliar with anything on the DS, so I've just ignored it altogether, because... I can. :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Seth ran and ran, as fast as his tired legs would allow. It was always the same routine, all through school - Jack and Mitchell would always humiliate him, isolate him and hurt him. But Seth made a point of it not to let it get to him. He was always too weak to overcome them both, and too socially inept to get friends on his side, or dissuade the bullies. He had to go it alone, and, until recently, he had managed just fine. He could handle the punches, the kicks, the put-downs.

What he was finding _much_ harder to handle, however, was the _freaking lightning bolts!_

"Thundershock!" Jack's voice came wafting over the crest of the hill Seth had just sprinted down. This particular hill was a grassy plain, with a single, tall oak tree several metres away, and nothing else for him to hide behind. In hindsight, this was a poor place to run to. Jack appeared over the crest of the hill first, just as a large magnet with an eye floated by, releasing a Thundershock attack as commanded. Seth internally damned all Magnemites to the pits of hell for that. Using some fancy footwork, he quickly stumbled to the side, nearly tumbling down the hill as he did so. The grass where his feet were hissed and was instantly burnt black. Moments later, Mitchell and his two Nincadas stormed the hill as well – one had already used Scratch on his leg twice, and Seth's pant leg was moist with slow leaking blood, but the other Nincada had been taught Flash – that is to say, its attacks were Flash and Harden. Not entirely threatening.

"Come on, Buzz, Thundershock him!" Jack cried again. Magnemite obliged his master happily, sending another bolt of electricity sizzling through the air. This one struck Seth square in the back, sending him into minor convulsions and forcing a cry of pain to escape him. His short, blue hair stood on end as the static coursed through him, and he collapsed face first to the ground. He grasped the soil in his fist, trying to overcome the pain, but to no avail.

"Heh," Jack scoffed, seeing Seth's weakened state, "this is _way_ better than just beating him up ourselves!" Seth groaned quietly, rolling onto his back. Buzz the Magnemite was hovering over him, and Mitchell's Nincadas scurried up beside him. One scratched at his eye, drawing blood over Seth's left eyebrow. "Buzz, Tackle!" Seth was unable to move out of the way before the magnet pokemon delivered a Tackle attack, bruising several ribs. He coughed with the pain, shaking his ribs and causing more hurt.

"Flash, Slice, return!" Mitchell called. The Nincadas disappeared in a flash of red light, back into their pokeballs. But the magnet wasn't done.

"Thundershock, again!" Jack called – but Seth wouldn't let it happen again. In a move of desperation, and backed by a surge of adrenaline, he quickly rolled on the grass, letting the patch of soil crackle and burn upon being struck by the attack. Rising to his feet in the blink of an eye, he swung his leg out, kicking Magnemite in its large eye, blinding the creature. Enraged, Buzz attempted another Thundershock of its own accord, which Seth had already anticipated and ducked under. He grabbed Buzz by its large magnets and spun it several times in the air, disorientating him. The pokemon let loose another Thundershock, which missed wildly, zapping a Ledyba whom happened to be fluttering by. It screamed, and fell to the ground, charred and unmoving. Seth leapt onto the Magnemite's back, pushing it to the floor. He quickly stood and stomped it into the ground several times, hoping to incapacitate it. It didn't work – the Magnemite simply levitated back into the air, almost inadvertently whacking Seth in the face as it rose.

Seth had positioned himself right between where Jack and Mitchell were chasing him from and Magnemite. Realizing this, and hoping they hadn't moved much, he decided to try something. He tapped Buzz on the back, then ducked down. Sure enough, another Thundershock was unleashed at him, sailed overhead, and struck Mitchell – a fact affirmed by Mitchell's yelp, and a meaty thud on the earth moments later. Seth turned to admire his handiwork. What he saw was Jack's face, contorted with anger, and a white-knuckled fist flying at him. It hit its mark – the cut one of Mitchell's Nincadas made – and Seth was sprawled out on the floor, conscious, but very dizzy and disorientated. Satisfied, Jack withdrew Magnemite.

In its unfocused state, Seth's mind wandered to how Jack and Mitchell came to have pokemon. Unfortunately for him, they were several weeks older than him, and, upon turning sixteen, had received their first pokemon each. Jack selected Magnemite for its electrical power and steely defence, and Mitchell chose Nincada for its tenacity, along with its small size and burrowing ability, which would be excellent for hiding things and pulling off pranks. He had been lucky enough to get a female in heat, resulting in several males of the species flocking near him. One particular unlucky male had been practically mauled by the rest, and Mitchell had seized the opportunity and captured it. Seth himself was still three days away from receiving a pokemon – not that surviving those three days was a guarantee.

"Hey, I got an idea." Jack's voice called, dulled through Seth's pounding skull. "I just weakened you. Now, I'm gonna capture you." He pulled a pokeball from his belt, and let it fall out of his hands, and hit Seth on the head. As should be expected, the pokeball did nothing, and Seth was not captured. But as Jack cockily bent down to pick up his pokeball, Seth swung an uncoordinated fist – one that happened to strike Jack in the back of the head, knocking him to the floor as well. Angry and bitter, Seth snatched the pokeball and whacked Jack in the side of the head with it. Spittle flew from Jack's mouth as he sprawled out on the grassy hill. Unfortunately, however, Mitchell had recovered, and held a pokeball in his hand. In a flash of red light, a Nincada was summoned at his feet. Still dazed by Jack's strike, Seth wasn't thinking clearly. He held out the ball, hoping to somehow recall the pokemon before he could be assaulted again.

"Attack!" The Nincada that came out, though, had no attacks. It did, however, let out an immensely bright Flash, blinding man and pokemon alike – All but Seth, whose eyes were luckily shielded by an empty pokeball. Angered, the bug pokemon scurried across the hill, though Seth was unsure what it intended to do once it reached him. He braced himself. Perhaps he _wasn't_ too weak to take them both on…

Nincada leapt at him with decent speed, but Seth, still high on his adrenaline rush, was faster. He tossed the pokeball aside plucked the pokemon from the air in one fluid motion, using Nincada's own momentum to twist on the spot and throw the bug high into the air. Seconds later, as Mitchell still complained of blindness and Jack still lay on the floor, barely moving but now clutching his head, the Nincada landed on its back with an awful _snap_.

"Oh… oh, no… I… I killed it, didn't I…" Seth whispered to himself, barely registering that Jack was beginning to fumble for his Magnemite again. All he really registered was that he wanted – needed, really – to get out of there. Away from the Nincada that had yet to move since landing. Turning, he sprinted in the direction of home. He looked back over his shoulder in the dire hope that Nincada had stirred. It hadn't. He wasn't looking where he was running, though, and slipped over the pokeball he had tossed aside. Without thinking, he picked up the ball Jack had tried to capture him with, and sprinted home.

On his way home, as always, Seth would pass by the local pokemon lab. Unlike most other regions, each town in his region hosted a pokemon lab. Only the lab in Sundown City was of any real scientific merit, but all were used as a hub to hand out starting pokemon to the local children. Most towns offered Trapinch, Spheal and Aron as starters, as the traditional starters were not native to the area, and were too expensive to sail in from other regions. In Seth's town – Leapton Town – however, things were different still. The pokemon each child received depended on what pokemon Professor Moss had recently caught but didn't want to keep.

On this particular day, Professor Moss happened watering his plants outside the large, dull grey lab when Seth came sprinting past.

"Whoa, whoa, wait there, young Master Hopper. I believe you're not due to get a pokemon for three days. Why have you gone and got a pokeball already?"

"Don't worry," Seth forced out, not stopping, "there's nothing in it." To prove it, he pressed the button, and out popped a beaten and charred Ledyba. Seth skidded to a halt and stared at the injured creature.

"Well... You were due to receive a free pokemon, Seth Hopper, but since you have brazenly gone and broken the rules of the Pokemon League, and captured one before your time, you now don't _get _a pokemon from me. Additionally, you won't get a Pokedex or trainer card, and you won't be able to compete in the Pokemon League, or any of its Gyms." In a huff that his authority had been undermined, Professor Moss stormed inside to return to… whatever it is he did, nobody was entirely sure.

_I don't get a starting pokemon from the Professor?... _Seth thought to himself. He knelt down and looked at the injured Ledyba just as the bug opened one eye, looking up at him sadly. _Kindred spirits, you and I. I know just how it feels to be beaten and broken, looking up at someone, unsure if they are going to let you go or hurt you some more. But I see some fight in your eyes too… you want to be stronger… so do I, kindred spirit. Maybe… together… we can be stronger._

Seth gently hoisted Ledyba into the air, smiling up at the bug warmly. The Ledyba visibly relaxed in his hands, seeming to trust its new master.

"I can't have a different starter?... Aw, why would I want any other pokemon besides you?" He chuckled happily, until remembering the Nincada he had killed. That bug would never make it to a Pokemon Centre – a thought which grabbed hold of Seth like a vice. "Of course, you need a Pokemon Centre!" He exclaimed, unsure how he didn't think of it before. Nincada may have died because of him – Ledyba would not die because of him too.

Seth burst through the doors of the Pokemon Centre, Ledyba cradled in his arms. It was a quick fix, apparently – just a minor shock. Within what seemed like seconds, Ledyba was fully healed and buzzing around happily. Seth smiled warmly at his first pokemon. He felt truly happy for a few seconds – until the doors to the Pokemon Centre burst open, revealing an angry Jack, a worried Mitchell, and, in Mitchells arms, an injured, but alive, Nincada.

"You… look what you did!" Jack accused, blatantly ignoring the attacks he himself committed. He grabbed Seth by the collar with one hand and plucked Magnemite's pokeball with the other, and dragged Seth outside, leaving Mitchell inside to heal his Nincada. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the building, Jack threw Seth to the bricks, and released Magnemite to hover menacingly above him.

"Buzz, Thu-" Magnemite was speared from the air and into the ground by a speeding Ledyba. Not fazed by the Tackle, Magnemite threw Ledyba off, delivering a Tackle attack of its own, driving the ladybug pokemon into the ground. Seth began to rush over to his bug, but was caught by Jack, who grabbed hold of the back of his collar viciously before pulling back, delivering a knee strike to the small of Seth's back, and shoving him to the floor. Jack watched with a scowl as Ledyba managed to dodge three successive Thundershocks before using Tackle again – against the Steel type, however, that simply wasn't very effective. Jack smirked – it was a losing battle for the bug. Soon, Buzz would be back to shocking Seth.

Seth got up quickly, shoving Jack to the floor, and dashing back to where the pokemon were battling, tackling Magnemite from the air before it could do whatever it was planning, and driving it to the brick-tiled ground that surrounded the Pokemon Centre. He rose to his knee, placing himself between Jack and Magnemite… he quickly rolled to the side as the magnet used Thundershock and, once again, struck its own ally. Jack collapsed to the floor with a wheeze after being struck by the electrical attack.

He wasn't able to celebrate for long, however. Magnemite delivered a Tackle attack to Seth's already bruised ribs, driving him to one knee, before being Tackled again by Ledyba. The ladybug placed itself between Seth and Magnemite defiantly, as if protecting the boy. Neither of them noticed a Nincada scuttle through Seth's legs, and stab its claw through Ledyba's back, causing the ladybug to cry in pain. Shrugging Nincada off, Ledyba turned, only to have Nincada stab both claws through its hard outer shell again. This time, the underbelly of the ground bug blocked Ledyba's view. Ledyba tried to shake the other bug off, but Nincada's claws were planted firm. Seizing the opportunity of its opponent being blinded, Magnemite charged up a Thundershock. Ledyba was swinging around wildly, however, and the attack struck Nincada. The electrical attack fizzled against the ground type harmlessly. Realizing what had just happened, Ledyba used Tackle to the source of the electricity, ramming Nincada into Magnemite. Still very little damage to the steel pokemon, but it was something. Seth watched in awe as the bug/flying type was actually able to withstand the steel/electric types offense.

"Flash, Flash!" Mitchell yelled, somewhat confusingly, having healed his pokemon. Seth squeezed his eyes shut and kept his back turned – in fact, all pokemon were wise to it, save for Mitchell's other Nincada, Slice, as well as Seth's Ledyba, who had its vision already blocked anyway. Ledyba, recognizing the appearance of another foe, quickly zoomed to where Mitchell's voice had come from, and butted the two Nincadas against each other. Flash and Slice made an aggravated noise, which allowed Ledyba to pinpoint Flash. The ladybug grabbed hold of the ground type, sure to point its claws away from it, and fluttered into the air. Magnemite peppered it with Thundershocks, but Ledyba was using the ground types as a kind of armour. It couldn't be hurt. Once it reached a significant height – higher than when Seth had thrown the Nincada earlier – it dropped Flash, letting it plummet to the ground. Seth allowed it to fall. After attempting to hurt Ledyba, he no longer felt the emotional desire to save the pokemon. Twisting and spearing towards Magnemite, Ledyba kept Slice firmly attached in front as a shield – not that the Nincada had any choice, its claws were extremely firmly rooted in, and it didn't even want to let go at this point for fear of the fall. Once it knew it was close to the ground, Ledyba spun, facing its back to the bricks and scraping Slice along the ground brutally. They slid towards Magnemite, in a path that would expose Ledyba's prone underbelly as it slid directly under the floating magnet. Buzz hovered in wait for that moment, Thundershock at the ready.

After several metres of scraping, Nincada was bloodied up, and too weak to unhook itself. Not that it mattered. Within a metre of Magnemite, both of Slice's claws snapped off simultaneously. The claws remained imbedded within Ledyba, but the Nincada tumbled across the bricks, unconscious and unable to continue. Ledyba continued in the same motion, her underbelly still exposed. Seth held his breath as the bug flew under the magnet… then gasped as Ledyba blasted Magnemite with a Psybeam, completely knocking the electric magnet out of the air. It crashed into the bricks at nearly the same instant that Flash's plummet finally ended. Ledyba soared into the air, victorious.

"Slice! Flash! Return!" Mitchell cried, withdrawing his Nincadas. He spared a fearful glance at Seth before running back inside the Pokemon Centre. Jack coughed and hacked, but rose to his knees, recovered from the Thundershock. He glanced up to see Seth smiling victoriously, Ledyba floating overhead, and Magnemite unmoving on the bricks. Not even bothering to withdraw Magnemite, he ran home, not wanting this oddly powerful Ledyba to attack him. Seth smiled, then looked down at the Magnemite and sighed. He reluctantly picked it up, and took it into the Pokemon Centre. He incurred dirty looks from Mitchell, but the bully dared not lash out. Leaving Magnemite with the professionals, Seth and Ledyba began to stroll home.

As he tossed Ledyba's pokeball casually, Seth watched the ladybug flying around him with interest and pride. It had bested three pokemon at once, and pulled a Psybeam out of nowhere. He didn't even know Ledybas could learn Psybeam! This was going to be a great pokemon, he just knew it. But, he noticed, Buzz, Flash and Slice were all given nicknames. And even though he hated their owners, he did note that doing so would create a bond between human and pokemon. Smiling, Seth quickly came up with a suitable, albeit not entirely genius, nickname for his Ledyba. With scars on his face, a beaming smile, and a glint in his bright green eyes, he told his pokemon:

"I shall call you… Dot."


	2. Dot vs Buddy

Seth lay on his bed, one hand behind his head, the other tossing Dot's pokeball in the air, smiling up at the ceiling. Together, one human and one pokemon had bested two humans and three pokemon. He smiled, knowing the kind of team they could make.

_We could be something amazing, Dot._ He thought to himself. _Who knows? I may become a pokemon master! We could defeat anyone in our way – I could discover brand new pokemon! Together, we could even take on the Champion! I-_ Seth's smile shattered, and he lost concentration, carelessly letting the pokeball clatter to his wooden floor as he remembered Professor Moss's words from earlier, banning him from the Pokemon League. He frowned. What was he supposed to do now, then?

"Led!" Dot cried. Seth jumped – he hadn't realized Ledyba had been released. It must have happened when the ball hit the floor. "Ledyba!"  
"Wait… what'd you say?" Seth asked, bolting upright.

"…Led? Ledyba?"

"That's it! Lead!" He tumbled off the bed gracelessly, pulling out a crumpled, disused map of the Narho region. He traced a line with his finger, following from the southern town of Leapton, where he was now, northerly across Route 16, arriving at Smeltite City: the ore and metal (and lead!) production capital of Narho, and home to another pokemon lab, as well as Professor Growth. All he had to do was go there in three days time, and the Smeltite City professor would officially register him in the League, not to mention give him a new pokemon! His elation was cut short when he realized Professor Moss would have already informed the League of his ban. Unless…

A smile twisted across Seth's face. Moss was well known for procrastinating. He may still have a chance…

"Dot, return!" The ladybug was zapped away in a blur of red energy. Seth sprinted to the pokemon lab, hoping it wasn't too late.

"Professor! Professor Moss!" Seth called, knocking heavily on the heavy oak door of the pokemon lab. He could hear grumbling and shifting from inside for several seconds before Professor Moss, in his beer-gutted, green-haired glory.

"What is it, Hopper?" The professor grumbled.

"I… have you rung the League yet?" The blue haired youth asked, not wanting to get his hopes up. Without the challenge of the League, he really didn't feel he had any purpose as a pokemon trainer. Moss pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"No… not yet. If you're here to change my mind on the subject, save your breath. By breaking the rules, you've shown you're not fit to be a part of the League challenge."  
"But I am! Have you seen my Ledyba!? It defeated two Nincadas _and _a Magnemite all at once!" Seth claimed.

"Yes, but judging by the surprise on your face when Ledyba first popped out of that pokeball, you not only didn't intend to capture it, but haven't had it for very long at all. The skill your Ledyba has is in no part due to your influence."

"Fine…" Seth had to confess that was true. Dot had acted on her – and she was indeed a her, as Seth found out after the bug had given him an angry glare in response to his call of 'come here, boy!' – and he had been too busy with Jack to give many orders.

_Come to think of it, I didn't even give her a command, nor did I know all of her attacks…_ He noted mentally. But, all of that gave him an idea.

"Well… how about this. You and I have a one-on-one pokemon battle. If I win, you don't call the League, and I can take the League challenge."

"I have conditions of my own, if you wish to make a challenge." Moss interrupted. "We must each call out the attacks of our pokemon before they strike – we can't just have you falling back on your Ledyba's skill. Additionally, if I win, I enforce your ban as I intended to _and_ I win your Ledyba."  
"WHAT?!" Seth yelled, shocked. "No way! Think of something else you want!"  
"There's nothing else you have that I want." Professor Moss replied coolly.

"But-"

"No, no, I get it," Moss began, turning away, "you're not confident enough in your pokemon. Don't worry. When I ring the League in regards to your ban, I won't mention your cowardice or your Ledyba's ineptitude."

_Ineptitude? She beat three pokemon – and one of them was a Magnemite! She could overcome a type disadvantage like that, I bet she could overcome anything Professor Moss throws at her! But , just to be sure…_

"Wait… I'll agree, if… the pokemon you choose doesn't have any type advantages over mine." Seth said, meeting a curious glance from the Professor.

"Haha, I suppose I won't be using my Magmar, then. Well played... Deal." Seth breathed a sigh of relief. _A Magmar? Dot would've been burnt to a crisp! Oh well, this shouldn't be too hard…_ The two shook hands, each with a grin, each entirely sure of themselves.

"Meet me in the garden around the back of the lab in five minutes."

Seth stood in a perfectly rectangular grassy field bordering the back of the pokemon lab. The grass was fairly thick – almost up to his knees. _Ledyba may be able to hide herself in that… _he considered. Then he forgot any trace of the thought. He wasn't commanding her actions – she was smart enough to beat what was in front of her on her own, he was confident of that. He simply had to call out attacks before she used them – not that it should be too hard. The only registered attacks she seemed to know were Tackle and Psybeam.

_Come to think of it, he has no idea about Psybeam._

Seth held his pokeball tighter as he watched Moss emerge from the lab and take his place opposite Seth in the grass filled rectangle.

_Alright… let's review. He can't possibly have any type advantages, so… that means no electricity, no ice, no rock, no fire… and, because Ledyba's a bug, he can't have a flying type either. So Ledyba should be able to stick to the air._

"Are you ready?" Professor Moss asked gently, holding his pokeball in front of him.

"Whenever you are." Seth responded confidently, mirroring his opponent's actions. He pressed the button on the ball, and in a flash of red, Dot was buzzing in the air. Sizing up the situation, Dot buzzed happily and stood in front of Seth. She was ready to fight.

"Hitmonchan, Mach Punch." Moss spoke succinctly. Seth's eyes widened, realizing what it meant but unable to speak in time as the red blur before the Professor rushed at Dot at a blinding speed and throwing a powerful punch, which… _missed?_ All those present, including the Hitmonchan, stared at the defiantly buzzing Ledyba, hovering mere inches from Hitmonchan's fist. Suddenly, Seth's mind snapped back into action.

_Fighting is weak against psychic… _"…Psybeam!" He called. Moss's eyes went almost as wide as Hitmonchan's, as Dot blasted the fighting pokemon from point blank with a psychic strike. The boxer toppled into the grass, extremely dazed.

"Yes!" Seth cheered. But then, Hitmonchan rose up to its feet.

"Psybeam? That's rare for a Ledyba. But, I deduced as much when you told me she had bested a Magnemite." Ledyba still buzzed in the air, uncertain about how Hitmonchan was standing – and so easily! "So I selected my Hitmonchan, Buddy." Moss continued, unabated. "I got him when he was just a Tyrogue, and I raised him to be strong and powerful. He can withstand a Psybeam from a weak little Ledyba – plus, he'd lure such an attack, being a fighting type. Now, I know for sure. You don't possess skill, your Ledyba does. I'll be proud to add her to my collection. Buddy, Mach Punch!" Buddy zoomed forward with blinding speed again, only for Dot to narrowly dodge, taking to the skies to avoid his range.

"Dot!" Seth called, struck by a brilliant idea, "stick to the skies and pepper him with Psybeams!" Ledyba responded, showering the grassy arena with purple beams of psychic power. Ducking and weaving as if they were mere punches, Hitmonchan dodged them all, seeming to make a training exercise out of it. Moss simply smiled and let it continue for several seconds, figuring Buddy was due for a bit of a warm up.

Moments passed, and Dot remained unable to land a hit on the speedy Hitmonchan. She had proved to be no sloth herself, dodging two Mach Punches from the boxing pokemon, but, so far it seemed she could only impact Hitmonchan with a surprise, point blank attack. Nothing was hitting now as the ladybug buzzed around in the sky, growing frustrated. Seth wasn't getting frustrated – he was getting tense, and concerned. Tackle was no good; that would be getting within Hitmonchan's range. Psybeam wasn't working; Hitmonchan had too long to dodge. They were at a stalemate, and the teen had no idea how to turn the tide in his favour. Professor Moss, however, did.

"Buddy, Hi Jump Kick!" In response, Buddy ducked under a Psybeam, and then sprung into the air with a powerful jump, reaching Ledyba's height, and swinging a leg out with blinding speed. As he reached the full height, however, Dot fired a Psybeam into the fighters face – after all, he couldn't dodge in mid-air. But, using the momentum from his swinging kick, Buddy managed to tilt his head to the side just enough to miss the brunt of the attack, as the psychic force only knocked his cheek. The kick, however, was right on the mark, smacking into the side of Dot's head – the bug had remained still to line up her attack, and relying on it knocking her attacker off course. The gambit had failed, and the bug toppled through the air ungracefully.

Landing with a soft thud in the grace, Hitmonchan eyed the bug in the sky, shaking off the kick, and ascending higher to avoid another. The fighting pokemon glanced quickly at the worried and uncomprehending expression of the boy opposing him, then turned back to face his master, awaiting further instruction.

"Bah, she's too high… Rain Dance." Moss ordered. Buddy did as commanded without question, performing a dance that looked strangely like a tribal dance infused with boxing training. A roll of thunder cascaded overhead, and rain began to sprinkle, gradually building into a heavy downpour in just a matter of seconds, localised on the Professor's backyard.

The falling rain actually helped Dot, cooling her painful bruise and helping her re-coordinate faster. The Hitmonchan had used Rain Dance, that was for sure – but why? Below, Seth was wondering the same thing.

_Hitmonchan can't use any water type attacks and it can't learn Thunder… Rain Dance doesn't have any kind of direct use… Unless, he-_

Seth's thought was interrupted as his opponent called the attack, "Buddy! Jump high, and use Ice Punches!" Hitmonchan quickly leapt back to full height, still several feet short of the bug that hummed overhead. A frosty energy built up on his fist, and he jabbed at the air several times, icy waves of energy rippling through the air and turning portions of the falling water into hail. Many of the attacks were simply false punches, carefully placed to herd Ledyba into a specific portion of the sky. This way, Hitmonchan knew exactly where to place his final succession of Ice Punches. If he aimed for the bug, he had learned, the pest would simply dodge. But if he aimed above her…

The rain for several feet above Ledyba froze, cascading down on her as thin, but sharp, shards of ice. None managed to puncture Ledyba's shell, nor drive her towards the ground, but it accomplished what it needed to do – it distracted her, forcing her to swoop aside and glance to the sky.

"Sky Uppercut." Moss called before his pokemon had landed. Hitmonchan knew the order was coming, and had prepared himself, launching back into the sky after barely even brushing the surface. This time, however, he had a boost – he was using Sky Uppercut, and the energy coating his fist was actually propelling him further into the sky – he was able to reach the ladybug.

"Dot! Move!" Seth screamed, seeing his pokemon in trouble. Dot swivelled in the air, seeing the Hitmonchan speeding towards her, not at all expecting him to reach her height, but doing as Seth commanded anyway. It was lucky she had, too – the Sky Uppercut attack would have surely been devastating.

"Ice Punch!"

"Psybeam!" The two trainers below commanded in unison. Unfortunately, much like Buddy had been too stunned to follow up his attack when his first Mach Punch had missed, Dot was too surprised by the Hitmonchan able to launch high enough off the ground to reach her. Had she been thinking well, she may have guessed that Buddy's father was a Hitmonlee. She did not think, however – all she could manage to do was cry in pain as the icy fist hit its mark, striking brutally into the soft underbelly of the bug, knocking her backwards. As Buddy fell back to the ground, Ledyba tried to flap her wings to right herself. But she found it difficult, and soon notice why, much to her and Seth's dismay – her wings were coating themselves with ice. In fact, her entire body was being overtaken by a growing sheet of ice. She struggled, but to no avail. Within seconds, she had been frozen solid, and plummeted from the sky.

"No! Dot! Psybeam! Tackle! Anything!" Seth yelled frantically as his bug dropped from the air. For a brief moment, he wondered how the ice had manifested so quickly, but that thought was answered by his chattering teeth – the Rain Dance had managed to help lower temperatures already, serving as a catalyst. Seth smiled as a purple beam of psychic might tore through a part of the ice, albeit a much weaker one than he had grown to expect. But Ledyba still fell.

"Finish this, Buddy. Mach Punch. She won't dodge this one." Seth could only watch helplessly as more chunks of ice were torn away piece by piece from Ledyba's internet assault, but it wasn't enough. She struck the ground with a powerful whack, shattering the ice and kicking her back into the air briefly, where she was intercepted by a blinding Mach Punch. Dot didn't even manage to cry out in pain as the blow knocked consciousness from her grasp, and sent her sliding across the wet and slightly muddy grass, skidding to a stop at Seth's feet.

A mixture of shock, horror and concern was plastered across Seth's features as he knelt down and placed a gently hand on his pokemon. She had battled well, but… she had still lost. Not wanting her to lay in the rain and mud in her state, he silently pulled out her pokeball and withdrew her. Focused on his pokemon's wellbeing, only in part of his mind did he recall the deal he had made – he had wagered his Ledyba, and he had lost. Professor Moss, however, was eager to remind him.

"Hand over the pokeball, boy." He commanded, reaching out his hand. Hitmonchan stood next to him proudly.

"I…" was all Seth could manage to say, cupping Dot's pokeball in his hands dejectedly.

_How did she lose? After dodging the Mach Punch, I was sure she'd win! And when she flew out of reach of the Hi Jump Kick, I didn't think she could even be hit! I… My inexperience shows, I guess… we didn't have anything planned, we were just making it up as we went… there was no way for Dot to know what was coming, no way for her to stop the Rain Dance, Sky Uppercut and Ice Punch combination… and now… because I was an idiot… I'm going to lose Dot…_

"Well?" Moss intoned harshly, holding his hand out further as Buddy leant over Seth in an intimidating fashion.

_I… I can't give Dot up just like that… I- wait. Mach Punch, Hi Jump Kick, Rain Dance, Sky Uppercut, Ice Punch… that's five moves!_

Seth jerked his head up, glaring up at Moss with anger and defiance. The rain stung his eyes, but he ignored it.

"You used five moves. League rules state that you can only use four. So, unless you want me to report you to the League…"

"This was not an official League match, Hopper." Professor Moss scolded. "This was an unofficial, off the grid match. Hand over the pokeball. Now."

"How can you have an off the grid match?" Seth barked, rising to his feet, ignoring the brutish Hitmonchan imposing its presence on him. "The League-"

"Raising pokemon is not all about the League!" Moss roared. "You are not just going to capture some pokemon and rise to become Champion! You are going to struggle; you are going to fight. Not everyone – hardly anyone, in fact, is going to play by the rules. As harsh as this lesson is, as your Professor, this is a lesson I had to teach you before you went and got yourself killed.

"I can handle myself fine, as long as I have Dot by my side." Seth countered boldly.

"You couldn't today." Moss reminded him. "I'm sick of this discussion. Buddy, get the pokeball." In less than the blink of an eye, Seth had been knocked to the ground by a Mach Punch to the ribs. He lay in the mud, grasping his ribs, coughing up blood and holding back tears. Through the pain, he failed to notice Dot's pokeball roll from his grasp.

Calmly, Moss withdrew Buddy and collected his prize.

"Go home, Hopper. You'll never be allowed back in the League – not that you'll ever get another pokemon." Not looking back at the young boy gasping for air, Moss turned and strode towards his lab.

_I don't want another pokemon… _Seth thought, wheezing. _I want Dot._

Moss closed the door emphatically. Seth had never been a socialite, more content to simply sit by and watch everyone else go by – and avoid Jack and Mitchell, of course. The idea of friends… intrigued him, purely because he didn't understand why humans felt the need to congregate together. But he never felt the need for friendship, and never thought he'd care if he lost it. But Dot… it was indescribable. It was this… ineffable thing that bonded them, an incredibly special bond between a child and his first pokemon, and he had lost that bond just as quickly as he had made it. Dot was gone, taken from him and guarded away by a powerful Hitmonchan and a plethora of other pokemon at the Professor's disposal.

Seth let a single tear cascade down his cheek.


	3. Shoreline Struggle

**A/N: I apparently can't include hyperlinks in the story, but send me a PM and I'll reply with a link to a town map I drew.  
It's... awful, but it'll do.****  
On with the show!  
**

* * *

_Gone… Dot's gone… and it's all because of me…_

Very little else managed to go through Seth's mind as he lay on his bed, being tended to by his mother, who was gushing with worry over the state his ribs were in. His mother had a soft face, and had died her hair a bright pink and tied it up into a bun. Her name was Minerva, but it was no secret to anyone that knew her that she simply preferred to be called Joy. She was, after all, training to join the fleet of Nurse Joys across the world.

"Seth, honey, why don't you tell me who did this to you?" 'Joy' asked her son.

"I… don't worry." Seth choked out, wincing as his mother extremely tenderly pressed against his ribs, sussing out where they were hurt the worst. Seth had already been tossing up the issue of whether to tell his mother what had happened, but he had decided against it. Being the nurse in training that she was, his mother would probably insist he stay home and leave everything alone, including his pokemon – and there was no way Seth was content to do that. Rules and League and injuries be damned, he was going to get Dot back. He was just unsure how.

"Whatever it was, promise me you won't let it happen again then?" Joy sighed. Her son forced out a weak smile at her, seeming to consider it for a moment before nodding firmly.

_I won't let it happen again. I'll never lose Dot again._

Joy sighed heavily, her worried frown seeming to lighten slightly.

"So… how am I?" Seth asked cautiously.

"Five ribs bruised, two broken, all on the left side. Honestly, I can't even think what you might have done! Please, just tell me…"

_I can't… I can't or you'll never let me see Dot again…_

"I… I don't…" Seth started. His mother wouldn't drop it, but he couldn't tell her… suddenly, he was struck by a bright idea, and everything clicked into place at once. It was a convoluted plan, and didn't have a huge chance of success, but… "I don't really remember, to be honest, it's all… sort of a blur. But I do remember that my um… friends... Jack and Mitchell were there. Maybe they know what happened? I'll go talk to them!" In a flurry, Seth rolled from his bed, wincing as his ribs sent a shot of pain through him, before hustling through the house as quickly as he could, leaving his mother stammering in his room, wondering what was happening.

With his blue hair whipping in the wind as he jogged as quickly as he could without his ribs causing intense pain, Seth made his way to the south side of Leapton Town. There, where the town transitioned into sand which transitioned into the ocean, was Jack and Mitchell's own little hangout. The two bullies were part one of his plan. Ordinarily, that piece of beach would be an area he would avoid at all costs, but this was a special circumstance. If he was going to retrieve Dot from the Leapton lab, he wouldn't be able to do it fairly – he couldn't face the Professor in a one-on-one pokemon battle. He would have to break and enter at night, find Dot's pokeball, and make it back out before anyone noticed. But to do that, he would require a pokemon that could see in the dark. And to do that, he needed to capture one. Not being old enough to purchase a pokeball (not that he had enough money to do so if he was old enough), he would need to get one from another source. That's where the two bullies came in.

Seth journeyed through the town, across the bland red brick streets dotted with white and blue houses. The beach was separated from the town proper by a line of pine trees, which marked the border between brick and sand. As soon as Seth parted through those trees and laid eyes upon the two who had caused him misery, he noticed his two big mistakes – ones he would have surely spotted if he hadn't been in a hurry to avoid his mother's questions.

_Problem one… I don't have a pokemon. It's me against everyone here. Problem two… there's more people here. Jack, Mitchell, and some girl – probably Jack's girlfriend, judging by the way he has his arm around her – and they each have two pokemon._

It was with that thought that the third big mistake occurred to Seth. He had assumed Jack and Mitchell wouldn't have caught any more pokemon. But, clearly, Jack had another addition to his team. Seth gulped. This would probably kill him if he tried it. He was about to turn back with his head hung, when a thought stopped him cold.

_How else can I get Dot back?_

The question hung in his mind for several moments. Professor Moss was well known for not leaving the lab, ever. He couldn't just wait him out. He could try breaking into the lab himself, but he had no way of seeing in the darkness – he would need a pokemon to look around for him. And if things didn't go to plan, he couldn't just rely on Dot to fight their way out. Even if he did find her before things came crashing down, Dot wasn't strong enough to handle a Hitmonchan… what if Moss released his Magmar? He had to do this… but did he have to do it now? Couldn't he wait until he just had Mitchell and his Nincadas and steal a pokeball from him? Surely that was better… but could he wait until Mitchell was alone? He had never seen Jack or Mitchell without the other around. Besides, who knew what kind of thing the Professor was doing with his pokemon… it'd be best for Dot if he did things as quickly as possible.

With that, Seth stormed across the beach, holding his breath and ignoring his aching ribs as best he could. At the last moment, Mitchell turned, and his eyes shot open in surprise. Seth tackled him to the floor, pushing his face into the sand, and snagged both pokeballs from his belt, shoving them in his own pockets. He quickly patted the bully down, but there were no spare pokeballs on him. He would have to get them from Jack. Holding Mitchell down, he glanced to the side as a flash of red lit up the beach, and a slender Bellsprout stood, ready for battle.

"Bell, Vine Whip!" Jack called. He had stopped holding his arm around the girl and faced his attention fully towards the blue haired boy before him. Bellsprout shot two vines like a whip at Seth, who held firm to Mitchell's collar and rolled, bringing Mitchell before him as a shield. The two vines struck, and Mitchell yelped in pain. Seth continued his roll, throwing Mitchell off him before rising to his feet and running at Jack and his Bellsprout.

Bell continued his Vine Whip attack, lashing out at Seth with joyous abandon. Seth held one hand over his broken ribs and the other in front of his eyes, allowing the vines to strike him wherever Bell wanted them to. Gashes and cuts and bruises dotted Seth's body, but he refused to be slowed, enduring the pokemon's onslaught with gritted teeth. Panicked, Jack released his Magnemite just as Seth came close enough to kick at Bell. The grass pokemon momentarily halted his Vine Whip to leap back and avoid the kick. As he did, all at once, Buzz appeared beside him in a flash of red, and Mitchell appeared behind Seth, gruffly pinning his arms behind him and held him to the spot. Seth struggled and kicked and squirmed, but Mitchell, angered by the surprise assault, held firm. In the back of his mind, Seth wondered just how Jack got his Magnemite back when the coward had left his pokemon for dead during their last encounter, but that gave way to more pressing concerns, namely survival.

"I don't know what made you do something so stupid, but I'll make you regret it! Bell, Vine Whip! Buzz, Thundershock!" In the background, Seth saw the girl flinch. It was very clear she wasn't enjoying this in the slightest – so why was she standing there letting it happen? She had two pokemon of her own to use, why did she just stand idly by?

Two vines shot from Bell, heading toward Seth with astounding speed… before they lost their tension and fell flat. Buzz had struck his own ally with his Thundershock attack.  
"Buzz, you giant idiot! Shock the human, not the pokemon!" Jack screeched. With a very odd sounding metallic laugh, Buzz turned, and Thundershocked Jack, who cried out in pain and collapsed to the sand.

_Humans can stand up against Vine Whips but not Thundershocks… I wonder if that makes us flying types. _Seth found himself wondering oddly. Before he could blink, Mitchell had slipped his two pokeballs out of Seth's pockets, backed up several feet, and had them both held out in front of him, as if they were meant to be taken threateningly.  
"What the… what's happened to you lately?" He asked Seth, his voice quivering. He was genuinely _scared_ of the boy he had tormented his entire life.  
"Get lost, Mitchell. Leave and I won't break your Nincada… _again_." Seth said, forcing a malicious grin. Truthfully, he didn't want to hurt the Nincadas at all, nor did he want Mitchell to release them. He just wanted Mitchell gone, and a threat was, hopefully, the best way to do so. The gambit paid off, as Mitchell turned and ran, clipping his pokeballs back onto his belt.

"R… Return." Jack managed to groan. He had risen to his knees, and held his two pokeballs up. Bell obligingly returned, disappearing in a flash of red as it glared at Buzz. The Magnemite, however, dodged the stream of red light, hovering defiantly in the air.  
"Magne_miiiiite_." Buzz spoke, his metallic voice echoing across the beach. Jack rose to his feet and scowled at his disobedient pokemon.  
"I don't speak magnet." He scoffed.  
"He… um…" the girl began, shuffling forward hesitantly.  
"What is it, Holly?" Jack growled through clenched teeth, turning to face the shy, pale brunette girl he had his arm around earlier.  
"H-He says… he's not yours." She flinched after speaking, as if expecting to be hit or yelled at.  
"Oh, really?" Jack's face was turning red with anger at the magnet that had intentionally zapped him. "Well, Magnemite, I-" he didn't bother to finish his sentence, quickly aiming the pokeball at Buzz and withdrawing him before the pokemon could object. Glowering at the ball as if the ball itself had wronged him, he quickly decided what he was going to do.

Jack smiled as he tossed the ball as far as he could into the ocean. Holly gasped loudly, covering her mouth with her hands. Seth gaped, open-mouthed, at what Jack had done. He could never imagine doing that to Dot… he couldn't even picture Mitchell doing that to Flash or Slice. Mitchell may have been a bully, but he had at least cared for his pokemon, and was visibly upset and angered when his Nincadas had been injured. But Jack…

"You bastard." Seth growled, balling up his fists. Time itself seemed to slow to a grinding halt. In the blink of an eye, Seth had analyzed a hundred thousand different outcomes. He had to save that Magnemite. He had to save Dot. If he let Jack go now, who knew when he would get another chance to get a pokeball? Holly would possibly give him one, but it was a gamble. As that blink of an eye ended, Seth made his decision.

Screaming with rage and shooting Jack a final, vicious glare, Seth sprinted into the ocean and dived in gracelessly. He kicked and splashed without rhythm, fighting the almost non-existent waves as he struggled to reach Buzz's pokeball. The Magnemite had zapped him, sure, but it had done so under Jack's direction, and had obviously decided not to take orders from the bully anymore. Of course, part of him had wanted to abandon the creature in favor of Dot, but how could he value the life of one pokemon above another? He couldn't live with himself if he had let that Magnemite go.

"Come on, Holly." Jack growled. "Let's go." He clipped Bell back on his belt, and walked away, leaving Seth and Buzz to fight their own way out of the brine.  
"Um..." Holly began, looking down at her feet and putting one hand on her opposite shoulder nervously. Jack stopped, and shot a vicious look at the girl.  
"What." He said. It wasn't a question. Holly looked to the ocean, to where the boy's blue hair was plastered over his face from consistently dipping underneath the water. He was clearly a very weak swimmer. But he was inspiring.

Holly had known Jack for a long time. Jack had been a consistent annoyance at first, nagging and disturbing Holly until finally the shy girl had simply agreed to be his girlfriend, against her better wishes. It wasn't physical, but she had, in a way, been emotionally bullied into the relationship, and been far too soft-spoken to end it. But she had known Seth, too. She knew the torment Jack and his idiotic friend Mitchell had put him through. She genuinely feared for the boy's life when Jack had gotten a pokemon. But her crippling shyness simply stopped her getting in the way, despite having pokemon of her own to stand up to them with. She had never managed it before. But, seeing Seth risk his own life in the ocean to save a pokemon that had attacked him in the past... looking at him, she knew she could stand up to Jack.

"N-No." Holly said, still unable to look at Jack, instead choosing to focus on Seth, as he drew ever closer to the Magnemite. He still struggled, and his pace seemed to be slowing, but he was getting there, and he was still fighting.  
"No!?" Jack screeched, anger boiling over for a moment before he got himself back under control. He chuckled slightly at his own outburst before running his fingers through his hair and pulling Bell's pokeball back out. "I see. You don't want to come. Do I have to get Bell to wrap you up in vines and drag you away from here while that moron drowns?" He warned. Holly didn't reply. Instead, she dropped her quivering hands to her belt, drawing a pokeball in each. She let one drop onto the sand. Jack's eyebrow twitched with anger at the Vulpix that appeared before its master.  
"Vulpix!" It cried.

Jack stared as his girlfriend stood up to him, for a reason he just couldn't fathom. She had seen Seth attack them, right? For no reason! It was completely unfair, in Jack's mind.  
"Holly... if you don't come with me, _right now_, we are over. Do you understand? Now put Alexis back in her ball, and-"  
"No." Holly said firmly, finally meeting Jack's gaze. It was a huge step for her, despite the fact she was standing with Alexis as her guard. Jack prepared to lash out, his anger reaching a dangerous level, when he was interrupted.

"Gotcha!" Seth yelled triumphantly, finally snatching Buzz's pokeball. He had done it! Despite his extremely weak swimming ability, he had done it! He turned back to the beach, panting heavily and spitting out salty water, when he was stunned - he was a lot further out than where Buzz had initially landed in the ocean. A horrible realization dawned on him...

_I... I won't be able to make it that far! I... I'm going to drown... _

A single second seemed to take several hours as Seth looked at the shoreline. He had just started his pokemon adventure, just learned how to actually care for another creature, and it would end like this? Without triumph or glory, without happiness or contentment? Just a washed up corpse on a beach? His spirit broken in an instant by the shattering reality, Seth's will to fight was driven out of him like the air was driven from his lungs by Buddy's punch. Having already resigned to the reality of not making it back to dry land, Seth held the pokeball above the water as he let himself sink. Even if he somehow came close, Jack would stop him. It was all over. He pressed the button on the pokeball, his last act being an act of salvation - freeing the Magnemite. Buzz appeared in a distorted flash of red as the water overlapped Seth's head.

"Holly..." Jack warned, not noticing that Buzz had been summoned and that Seth had dipped below the waves. Holly sucked in a deep breath, using the blue haired boy's determination as her own inspiration and fuel, and let out the words she had wanted to for so long:  
"Jack... I'm leaving you." Overcome by rage and giving in to primal anger, Jack charged at the girl and her Vulpix. The fire fox didn't have to intervene, as at that moment, a Thundershock blasted the sand just inches in front of Jack's feet. The bully skidded to a halt and turned, seeing his former ally floating across the waves to come and fight him. Jack's primal urge to fight gave in to the desire to flee, from what he now considered to be overwhelming odds. He spun, and fled in the same direction Mitchell had earlier. Holly fell to her knees, overcome by the surge of emotion at leaving the boy who had dominated her life for so long. She didn't turn to the ocean, but she knew what had to be done. In one fluid motion, she withdrew Alexis the Vulpix into one pokeball, and summoned her other pokemon: her Sealeo.

"Hailey, there's a boy drowning. Go save him!" Without any other command, Hailey the Sealeo dove into the ocean, spearing through the salty liquid and aiming for the blue haired boy clutching a pokeball in his hand. She quickly reached the victim of the ocean, and, pushing with her nose, began to bring him back to the surface. Moments later, they broke the surface majestically in a spray of froth that glimmered spectacularly in the dwindling sunlight.

Sealeo carefully placed Seth on his back in the sand at the feet of a worried Holly. He had caused nothing but immense inspiration and risked everything to save a pokemon that had attacked him in the past - it wasn't right for him to die like this, and Holly simply wouldn't allow it. She was far from being a Nurse Joy, but...  
"Breathe!" She yelled, pounding on Seth's chest with her white-knuckled fists as if she could simply punch the water out of his lungs. Seconds ticked by, but nothing came of it. She began to slow her assault and let her eyes fill with tears before an idea struck her. "You!" She said with unquestionable authority, pointing at Magnemite.  
"Mag...?" Buzz leaned forward inquisitively.  
"Charge a Thundershock attack, but don't use it - once it's charged, give him a light Tackle attack to the chest, right here." Holly ordered, tapping lightly in the middle of Seth's chest. With a life on the line, Holly's typical passive demeanor had vanished, which had all but shocked Buzz into obedience. Without question, the Magnemite did as told, using a static-charged Tackle on Seth. The magnet unknowingly struck the broken ribs.

All at once, Seth's eyes shot open, his back arched, and his head tilted to the side slightly as water was forced out of his lungs and onto the sand. Once the water was gone, he let a violent, primal scream of pain erupt from his throat at the assault on his ribs. After a few moments of intense pain, Seth had himself under control, and was taking in greedy gulps of much needed oxygen.  
"I'm... I'm alive." He gasped, almost not believing it. His eyes went from the girl kneeling beside him, to the seal looking down at him happily, to the magnet hovering overhead and back to the girl, with her warm, brown eyes welcoming him back to the world of consciousness.  
"Yep." Holly said, smiling. Only now, with the girl just feet away from him, did Seth finally recognize the girl.  
"You're... you're Holly Dressing, aren't you?"  
"Dixon. Holly Dixon. Close, though." Holly corrected, wondering where 'Dressing' came from and how the idiot before her thought it could possibly be a name.  
"You saved me." Seth said with glee, rising to his knees and giving Holly the strongest hug he could manage without putting undue stress on his already broken and battered ribs. Remembering his cries of pain upon being revived, Holly was extremely reluctant to hug back, instead opting to awkwardly give Seth gentle pats on the back.  
"Um... well..." The brunette spoke up, prompting Seth to release the hug and look her in the eyes. Holly looked slightly abashed, glancing down at the sand. "I told them what to do, but these two actually saved you." She admitted, pointing back and forth between Buzz and Hailey.  
"What's your Sealeo's name?" He asked casually.  
"Hailey." Holly replied - not that the name really seemed to matter much to Seth, who dived on the seal and hugged her even before Holly had finished answering. Seth held tight to Sealeo until he was sure she understood how grateful he was. Finally, he let go, and turned to the pokemon whose pokeball was still firmly held in his vice-like grip.

A tense silence hung in the air, and the only movement was Buzz's gentle rise and fall as he hovered in mid-air. Seth stared him down - the pokemon that had, mere hours earlier, first dealt the damage to the ribs that Buddy would then take advantage of and break. It could be argued that, without Magnemite's Tackle earlier by the large oak tree, Buddy may not have broken his ribs, and Seth may have been able to struggle and hold on to Dot. But, even if that were the case, Buzz had clearly acted purely on Jack's orders - orders which he had ended up deciding weren't suited to him.

_And, in the end, it was your Thundershock that made it possible for me to accidentally capture Dot in the first place..._

The tense atmosphere was shattered when Seth grabbed the pokemon and squished it into his chest.  
"Buzz, you beautiful magnet!" He declared. It was that moment when he decided that all Magnemites were no longer eternally damned.  
"M... Mag... mite?" The pokemon hummed. Seth raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, eliciting a giggle from Holly, who decided he looked very much like a dog when he did that.  
"Magnemite asks if this means he's yours now." Holly translated. Seth laughed happily, and held out the pokeball he had refused to let go of, even while he was on the brink of death.  
"Welcome to the team, Buzz." Buzz whirred its magnets around happily as Seth softly held the pokeball to the screw atop its head, returning it to its pokeball in a flash of red.

Seth looked at the pokeball intently. He had what he wanted - he had a pokemon. This pokemon would be essential if he were to ever get Dot back. But, thinking back, Dot had outclassed Magnemite, and Buddy had outclassed Dot. What hope did this Magnemite truly have of overpowering anything Professor Moss had if things went haywire inside the lab? Seth let his smile fade into a dejected frown.  
"You... uh... okay?" Holly asked, reaching a tentative hand out to rest on Seth's shoulder.  
"Yeah, I just... I'm not sure if Buzz will be good enough." Seth admitted.  
"Oh." Holly pulled her hand back. "I just... the way you were... uh... never mind." Without a word, Holly reached behind her, zapping Hailey back into her pokeball.  
"...What?" Seth inquired, facing Holly.  
"You... nearly drowned to save... don't worry." She stammered awkwardly, unable to spit the words out - no doubt they'd lead confrontation.  
"Oh, wait, I get it," Seth said, "you're wondering why I risked my life if I didn't think Buzz was good enough - this is just a misunderstanding. Of course Buzz is good enough as a pokemon and a friend, I just... I have something I need him for, and I don't know if he's _strong _enough to pull it off."  
"Oh." The brunette seemed to brighten back up at this, before frowning slightly. "What is it you need him to do? I know Jack and Mitchell have pokemon, but I think Buzz can-"  
"No, I'm not worried about them - not anymore. Dot can handle them by herself. But... that's the issue. I..." Seth paused, sighing heavily. He would tell her thje whole incident. He didn't know why, but he trusted this girl.

_Probably a lot to do with her saving my life. _He mused.

"I had a run in with Professor Moss when I first caught Dot - my Ledyba - and he banned me from the Pokemon League. I made a challenge, and it was Dot versus a pokemon he chose, but I made sure he couldn't choose any pokemon with a type advantage." He paused again, analyzing Holly's face. She hadn't flinched when he mentioned the ban, and she didn't seem judgmental so far... Seth took the proverbial leap of faith. "The bet was... if I won, he would allow me back into the Pokemon League, but if... if I lost... he would win Dot. He... he won."  
"WHAT!?" Holly screeched, suddenly very animated.  
"I know, I know, I'm a terrible-"  
"That's an abuse of power!" Seth was caught off guard. Holly was mad at Professor Moss in all of this?... It was a welcome surprise, but he wasn't sure he was entitled to escape the blame. "Moss doesn't even care for pokemon!" Holly continued, unabated. "Oh, Seth, Dot's in terrible hands! The green-haired prick is an experimenter, not a caretaker!" Seth was completely taken aback by Holly's casual curse - he had always known Holly to be _very_ soft spoken. Obviously, she was very passionate about her dislike for the Professor of Leapton Town. "You have to help her!"

"Well..." Seth began, "yes, but... what exactly can I do? You seem to know a bit about Moss, you can understand why I don't think Buzz will be enough. I'd have to break in at night, but what if he noticed, and released his pokemon? I-"  
"Calm down, Seth." Holly cooed, and Seth found his stress seemed to dissipate almost instantaneously. "It's probably a lot easier than you think. Especially... if... um..."  
"...Yeah?" Seth prompted, surprised at how suddenly the girl had found her timid nature again.  
"If... if you had help." Holly concluded, refusing to look Seth in the eye.  
"Ha... really?" Seth chirped happily. He had never, ever counted on an ally bringing pokemon of their own to the fight! This plan was actually starting to look less and less suicidal by the second.  
"Yes... really. If you're going to break into the lab and steal a pokemon from the Professor, then yes, I want to help."  
"Why?"  
"Because," Holly answered, finding the courage to return her eyes to meet Seth's, "if you're going to strike at Damarcus Moss, I want to be a part of it."  
"Alright, awesome," Seth beamed, his smile widening and his eyes dancing with excitement, "I think I may already have a plan of attack."

_I'm coming, Dot._


	4. Lab Rescue

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a dull, calm light upon the grassy field outside the Leapton Town lab. A soft breeze ruffled the surrounding trees gently, where Seth and Holly were crouched, silent and unmoving, deciding their plan of attack to get Dot back.  
"I can't just look around for her, she's in a regular pokeball, and I won't know her pokeball apart from the rest." Seth argued in hushed whispers. "Besides, I have no idea where Moss would keep his pokeballs."  
"I have... an idea." Holly admitted, whispering as well. Her Vulpix, Alexis, was crouched in the grass next to her, ready to pounce if any pokemon came storming out of the lab.  
"Oh?" Seth said, turning to face Holly with a glimmer of hope. Beside him, Buzz hovered silently, floating above the ground but staying low enough to remain hidden.  
"Yeah. I've uh... um... well, I haven't been in _this _lab, but over in Mantenno Port, where I moved from, I saw the lab there. Professor Ripple showed me around. He was great - he gave me my first pokemon, my Spheal!" Holly turned to face Seth, pulling Hailey's pokeball from her belt and brimming with pride as she presented it to the blue haired boy. Hailey had been kept inside her pokeball for this task, since a Sealeo was simply too large to be stealthy. "Of course, she's evolved since then."  
"Alright... so what's the lab look like from the inside?"  
"Well," Holly began, pausing to bite her lip and clip the Sealeo back onto her belt and pointing at the only window on the building left slightly ajar, "from where we are, we should be able to get in through that window, turn right, and find the PC storage system. Dot will probably be in there - if not, she'll be in the cellar. At least, that's where Professor Ripple stored a lot of pokeballs. Mostly Spheals and Arons and Trapinches, though." Seth was a little surprised that Holly had gone off on a tangent, but didn't bother thinking too much into it, focusing on his Ledyba.

"How do we get to the cellar?" He asked, trying to map the lab in his mind.  
"The staircase to the cellar is on the other end of the lab from the PC. It's hard to miss, though."  
"So... do we go to the cellar or the PC first? Or should we split up?" Holly considered the question a moment before shaking her head.  
"Splitting up is a bad idea. If gunk-head and his pokemon show up, we'll need to stick really close to be able to get out."  
"Well, we won't be able to get out if we get caught in the cellar, will we?"  
"No... you're right." The brunette girl conceded. "Alright, how about we check the PC first, then get Buzz to use his magnetical-ness to switch off all the electricity. It stops him from getting to anything in the PC, at least."  
"And," Seth added, "that way, when we're in the cellar, we can cut him off from his pokeballs! This isn't sounding so bad. Also, 'magnetical-ness'? Really?"  
"Shut up," Holly replied, smiling playfully, "I couldn't think of a better word." The levity of their joking lightened their mood, but only for a moment.

"So, what's upstairs?" Seth asked, wanting to know a bit more before infiltrating.  
"Just a bedroom. The stairs to go up are right next to the PC, so we'll have to be really quiet when we get in." Seth nodded silently.  
"Anything else I'll need to know?"  
"No, but... everything I'm telling you is just how Professor Ripple's lab is in Mantenno Port. So be ready to think on your feet."  
"Got it. Alright... let's do this."  
"Right behind you."

The four of them approached the open window in single file, moving as quickly as they could while crouching towards the window. Seth reached it first, and began to pull up on the window, when he found a problem.  
"It's... stuck!" He grunted, still tugging on the window. As he pulled, Holly came up behind him, grabbed the window, and forced it open. There was a light grinding sound as she did, which made them all flinch, but after a few tense seconds of nothing happening the tension was released.  
"Better?" She whispered.  
"How did you do that?..." Seth asked. The window had felt like it was glued shut until she had touched it.  
"By not being ridiculously weak." Holly quipped, snaking in front of Seth and swinging a leg up on the ledge. "Little help, shrimp?" She asked with a smirk, holding her hand out. Begrudgingly, Seth took it, helping her keep balance as she climbed in. She returned the favor and helped him inside, with Buzz and Alexis simply making their own way in.

Without a word, they turned and approached the PC. In the darkness, it was hard to tell what everything was, but everything seemed very similar to the lab in Holly's home town. She could mostly navigate by memory alone, only needing to feel around where paper had been scattered or desks moved around. Moss was clearly much sloppier than Ripple was. Easily enough, and with barely any noise, they reached the PC, and Holly switched it on.  
"Damn, algae-brains has a password." Holly scoffed.  
"What?" Seth asked in disbelief. Was Dot really going to be kept out of his reach by a _password_?  
"A password," Holly repeated, "don't worry, I got it." With lightning speed, Holly let her fingers fly across the keyboard of the PC. Even in the minimalistic light of the PC, Holly was precise and quick. Seth had no idea what was going on as the screen flashed several different times, each bringing up a new batch of indecipherable white text that he had no intention of questioning. In half a minute, the PC opened, revealing the list of pokemon being stored within it.

"Nope," Holly said shortly with a tinge of sadness in her voice, "Dot's not in here. In fact she's never been in this PC. Moss must have just thrown her in the cellar."  
"How do you know that?" Seth asked. He wanted to be sure Holly wasn't making assumptions or missing anything. That Ledyba was something incredibly special to him and he wanted to have no risk involved in her rescue - beyond the unavoidable risks involved with breaking and entering.  
"Look here," Holly pointed at a list on the right side of the screen, "only two pokemon have been added to the PC all day - both of them Nincadas, at five this afternoon."

_Flash and Slice...?_

"Alright," Holly began, "get Buzz to cut the power, and-"  
"No..." Seth let the response fall from his lips, unsure if he meant it. Even in the darkness, he was sure he caught Holly's flabbergasted expression. "We... let's release those Nincadas first. They're Mitchell's, they're not Moss's... they won't attack us, they'll run to their master." The boy reasoned.  
"Damarcus took Mitchell's pokemon, too? I wonder if _any _of the pokemon in this PC are his..."

_If the rest don't belong to Moss, we have to release them... but if they do, and we release them, we're screwed..._

Seth spoke his thoughts to the brunette, who agreed outright.  
"Well... what if we leave the power on, and just release them all once we've got your Ledyba, and we'll run like the wind?" Holly offered.  
"Sounds good. To the cellar!" Seth made a dramatic motion as if he were commanding Holly like a pokemon.  
"Yes, master." Holly replied, sarcasm practically dripping off her words. They made their way to the stairs then descended into the cellar in complete silence. It was only now that Seth realized he had completely failed to ask what the cellar looked like. Not that he had to - the cellar was lit by a weak, yellow, flickering ceiling light that cast a sickly light across the _pile_ of pokeballs that occupied the cellar.  
"...Ripple organized his pokeballs." Holly managed to utter. Seth failed to make any noise at the sight. Finding Dot in all of what appeared to be over 500 pokeballs would be impossible!

"Unless..." Seth whispered to himself before grabbing Buzz out of the air and staring the Magnemite in the eye.  
"Buzz, can you sniff out Dot's pokeball?" He whispered slightly louder than he should have.  
"You idiot, Magnemites don't have noses!" Holly scolded in slight disbelief at the blue heads idiocy.  
"Oh, yeah... can you get Vulpix to sniff it out then?" He asked, his tone almost pleading. Holly nodded once, then knelt down to the fire fox at her feet.  
"Alexis, I need you to find a pokeball... it smells like him." She ordered, pointing at Seth.  
"And, a little bit like Jack." Seth added, recalling how he came to possess the pokeball in the first place. Holly had been appalled by that story when he had told her just two hours earlier, at the way Jack had actually tried to capture him. He was glad to have a human that seemed to understand and sympathize. His mother was fine, but she was far too over-protective to actually be any sort of help.  
"And a little bit like Jack." Holly echoed. Alexis trotted over to Seth, sniffed his leg twice, then gently dove into the pile of pokeballs.

Several minutes passed, with Holly and Seth slowly leaning closer and watching more intently as the time went by. Eventually, Alexis emerged, a pokeball gripped in her maw. Seth gently took the pokeball from the fire pokemon with trembling hands.

_This is it... I got Dot!_ Seth thought triumphantly, holding the pokeball in the air. Somehow, without even cracking the ball open, he knew his Ledyba was inside. That special bond just let him know that this was the right one. He hadn't sensed it in the huge pile, but while he held it in his hand, he just _knew_. Holly, Alexis and Buzz all looked on with interest and joy as the boy's face lit up, unbridled happiness flooding his features. The problem was, however, that they had all completely been wrapped up in what they were doing, that none had noticed a Venomoth flutter into the cellar undetected and release a burst of Stun Spore. By the time anyone had noticed, it was far too late. Holly was the first to fall to the ground with a thud. Alexis gasped in surprise - an act which led to her sucking in the spores and being paralyzed in an instant, and she toppled to the ground beside her master. Seth was unable to move, but absolutely refused to drop Dot's pokeball - not after losing her once. He remained rooted to the spot. Buzz, however, thanks to his steely defense, was as close to being unaffected as possible. He hadn't been paralyzed, but his movements had been slowed. Despite this, he still spared no hesitation in whacking the large bug with a powerful Tackle, sending both pokemon toppling up the stairs. Not wanting to damage its masters lab, Venomoth quickly recovered and grabbed hold of Magnemite with a powerful Confusion attack, and sent him careening out of the window. Magnemite skidded silently across the grass outside, being quickly chased by Venomoth.

Outside, Buzz quickly recovered, hovering back into the air and firing a Thundershock at the giant purple moth. Without losing any momentum, Venomoth slipped past the bolt of lightning and used Confusion again, driving Magnemite back into the earth and holding the steel pokemon firmly in place. Buzz unleashed a volley of electrical blasts to keep the bug at bay, but Venomoth deftly swooped around each one of them, refusing to be hit.

Seth could feel his grip slipping on the pokeball. He was fighting the Stun Spore attack as best he possibly could, and any doctor would have been in awe at the sheer willpower he was displaying in not toppling to the floor, but it simply wasn't enough. Slowly, he leaned to the side, unable to stop himself, and whacked the floor with a crash, Dot's pokeball flying out of his grip. The ball landed on the floor, and the form of the Ledyba appeared in a flash of red. If Seth could move the muscles required to smile, he would have been grinning brilliantly.

Immediately after being released, Dot was knocked dizzy by the remaining spores still floating in the air. Most had been dissipated or absorbed by the three lying motionless on the ground, and there was nowhere near enough to paralyze the bug pokemon, but it gave her pause for a few seconds. In those few seconds, the Ledyba had managed to work out that a Stun Spore had been used, and it had struck her master. Enraged, Dot buzzed out of the basement with an angered "Led!", looking for the attacker.

Magnemite's Thundershock assault was managing to keep the giant moth at bay, preventing it from closing in and attacking over short distances. It was a sort of stalemate, where all Buzz could do was use electrical attacks to keep the enemy away, unable to land a hit, and all the Venomoth was able to do was dodge and keep the magnet held down with psychic energy. It was a Disable attack from Venomoth that broke the stalemate, stopping Buzz from using Thundershock. With the magnet lying helpless in the dirt, Venomoth switched tactics, and sprayed a powerful Silver Wind. The attack peppered the steely defense of the magnet, wounding it slightly, but angering it more than anything. With Venomoth's attention focused on its Silver Wind, Buzz was able to power out of Confusion, and rise into the air again.

Venomoth refused to let the magnet best it. It allowed Buzz to near in with a Tackle and, before it could strike, spewed a thick, heavy cloud of Stun Spore. Magnemite promptly fell from the sky and thudded into the grass. The moth spewed forth another Silver Wind at the paralyzed pokemon, but it was that moment that Ledyba speared outside and sprayed her own Silver Wind. The sprays of silver particles mingled together, altering the course of the combined attacks and missing Magnemite completely, fizzling harmlessly in the dirt. Dot was unsure what to make of the pokemon she had once battled, but it seemed like it was trying to help her escape. And, even if it wasn't, Dot wasn't about to simply let a defenseless, paralyzed pokemon be assaulted. It had been one thing to see an even battle between the two, but with Buzz paralyzed, the situation had changed. Venomoth didn't like this interruption, turning its attention to the ladybug pokemon.

The two bugs hovered in the night sky for a brief moment before Dot darted forward, attempting a Tackle. With a single flap, Venomoth eased aside, readying a Silver Wind. Dot spun and attacked in kind, and the two Silver Wind attacks collided in the air forming a dense silver mist, through which neither pokemon could see. Dot gazed intently into the cloud, surprised when Venomoth pierced it, and grabbed her from the air with a Confusion attack. It started to swing Dot towards the ground, but Ledyba blasted her adversary with a focused Psybeam, shattering the hold Venomoth had on her and knocking the moth higher into the air.

So focused on the Venomoth was Dot that she failed to notice a Gligar burst from underground. The purple flying scorpion glided skywards and smacked Dot in the back with a Quick Attack, stunning the bug. Gligar readied for another Quick Attack, when a piercing, ear-wrenching, metallic sound scraped through the air - Magnemite, in its paralyzed state, managed to force out the only attack it could. Metal Sound stopped whatever plans Gligar had, as well as knocking Venomoth a little more, but at the cost of doing the same to his ally.

Ledyba typically formed clusters of families, and amidst the thick canopys in which they'd tend to dwell, sight and sound aren't as useful as normal. Because of this, Ledybas senses of sight and hearing were dulled, while smell was heightened. It was this dulling that meant Ledyba was less affected by Metal Sound, and thus recovered first. Wasting no time, she clutched Gligar tightly and, repeating the technique that had defeated Flash the Nincada, speared it into the ground and scraped it along the dirt. Unfortunately, dirt and bricks are rather different, and once it had recovered from Metal Sound, Gligar simply used Steel Wing, weakening Dot's grip, and burrowed to the safety of the underground. Not waiting for a counter-attack, Dot rose into the air and analyzed the ground carefully for any sign of Gligar. She looked around, and didn't see Gligar, but saw something much worse - Venomoth had recovered, and was perched on the ground across the yard, charging a sizzling Hyper Beam.

Venomoth scowled - Ledyba had noticed the Hyper Beam before it could be fired. Not wanting to waste the energy, Venomoth simply turned the almost complete sphere of glowing white energy to the downed Magnemite. It had been paralyzed - now it would be finished. In the air, Dot noticed Venomoth shift its attention, and intervened. She fired a Silver Wind attack, but the silver spray petered harmlessly against the sphere of energy. Psybeam seemed to have a similar effect, not even phasing the moth. As a last measure, Dot used Supersonic, and watched with baited breath as Venomoth's attack finished charging. Supersonic caused it confusion, however, and in its confusion, Venomoth somehow mistook the ground for its opponent. The wave of energy emitted when the Hyper Beam struck the ground knocked Buzz along the ground and nudged Dot in the air, but had a devastating effect on the moth. One wing was singed and the other had been blasted clean off. One antenna was burnt to a crisp, and its body was charred and lifeless as it lay in the small crater it had formed. The blast also forced Gligar out from underground.

Its claw outstretched, Gligar opted to end the battle that it felt had lasted too long. One Guillotine would stop Ledyba. Gligar was fast, but Dot was faster. She dodged the claw at the last possible moment and clutched Gligar tightly again, holding its arms in place to stop another attack. Instead of driving it into the ground, Dot held her opponent in place and unleashed a constant barrage of Psybeams. On and on the assault went, for several attacks, in lieu of Gligars cries and swipes with its tail. Each time Gligar attempted a Steel Wing, Dot would shift her wait and roll through the sky, allowing the attack to strike ever so gently, not once stopping the string of Psybeams. Once Gligar had simply fainted from the assault, Dot released the flying scorpion pokemon, letting it smack into the ground. She waited for several long moments, but no other pokemon came to attack her. Satisfied, she zoomed back in through the open window... and was struck by a fierce Focus Punch out of the darkness. She careened downstairs, barely conscious and with part of her shell dented.

Dot landed with a thud and skidded along the floor, coming to a stop just in front of Seth. The boy could do nothing but stare as his first pokemon struggled to get back up, but to no avail. She hadn't the strength - the Focus Punch was overpowering. Buddy the Hitmonchan slowly walked downstairs, satisfied. He looked over at Dot smugly. That made two victories over the defiant ladybug. He looked at the state of the basement - the pile of pokeballs Damarcus Moss kept in this cellar had been strewn and separated, and two humans were laying motionless - none of which was normal, but not of a huge concern, either. Clearly, Venomoth had been here and paralyzed them - probably then gone hunting, Buddy reasoned. The only thing of concern was the small fire fox - the Vulpix standing at the brunette girls feet. The Vulpix's feet were slightly wobbly and she was sweating, clearly still affected by Stun Spore, but she was standing.

A blinding Mach Punch out of nowhere knocked Alexis off her feet and skidding on her side across the room before thudding into a wall. With astounding speed, Hitmonchan dashed over to the fallen fox, and began a series of punched into the fire pokemon's mid section. He let his barrage loose with gleeful abandon until a weak noise came from the Ledyba he had defeated. He turned to see Dot had made it to her feet, and was staring him down. He glared at her and, just as he was about to strike with Mach Punch, he was engulfed in flames. A mighty Flamethrower washed over him, setting the wooden panel floorboards of the cellar ablaze in an instant and turning the room into an oven. Hitmonchan thrashed about on the ground until he had smothered all the flames on him. He was forced to keep one eye closed and was covered in shallow burns, but still rose to fight. But it was futile. In one instant, he was hit by a weak Psybeam - enough to disorientate, but not enough to damage. It was that disorientation that led to a spectacular Double-Edge by Alexis, smacking Buddy into the opposing wall with tremendous force. The Hitmonchan remained stuck in the wall, its head hung. It had been knocked out.

The fire was beginning to grow. In the time it had taken Alexis and Dot to dispatch Buddy, the entire pokemon lab was almost alight. Startled by how quickly her flames had spread, Vulpix knew she had to act quickly. She quickly darted around the lab, the darkness not so much of an issue anymore with the light of the fire, until she found what she wanted. A familiar yellow spray bottle that Holly had taught her was Paralyz Heal. The fox clutched the bottle in her mouth and ran back to her master, awkwardly positioning the nozzle in her mouth until she managed to spray a hefty dose on the brunette. Holly stirred, and after half a bottle was used on her, she was up in almost an instant. She was still groggy, but it was enough.  
"Alexis, you've been amazing!" She praised proudly. "But for now, I need you back in the ball." Alexis nodded, and disappeared into her pokeball. "Hailey, Water Gun!" Sealeo appeared and quickly began dousing the flames around them. Meanwhile, Holly practically poured the remainder of the Paralyz Heal on Seth until he too managed to sit up.  
"Thanks - now let's make a break for it!" He picked up his pokeballs, and turned to Dot. "Where's Buzz?"  
"Led, Ledyba!"  
"On the lawn." Holly translated without Seth having to ask. Nodding, Seth withdrew Dot into her pokeball, and they raced upstairs.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY LAB!?" Professor Moss hollered from upstairs. Holly and Seth stopped in their tracks a moment, then looked at each other. Holly withdrew Sealeo while she turned and grabbed a handful of items off the nearest desk, and Seth raced over the the PC. He quickly selected every pokemon on the list, and told the PC to release every single one of them. Moss's footsteps could be heard thundering from upstairs, and in seconds he would be in the main area of the lab, and would catch the blue-haired culprit red-handed. Seth quickly turned, noticing Holly had already left, and dived out of the window. A Venomoth, a Gligar and a small crater were of note in the grassy 'arena', but his attention was on Holly, who was cradling a Magnemite in her arms and motioning for Seth to follow her over the fence and into the bushes. He did so unquestioningly. "BUDDY! SPIKE! SATURN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Damarcus screamed from within the lab. It was too late - Seth and Holly had managed to rescue Dot, as well as countless others. Had they stayed a few seconds later, they would have seen a small swarm of pokemon break free from the confines of the PC and flee from the lab - a pack headed by two Nincadas.

* * *

Seth and Holly were in the thick of Route 16, north of Leapton Town. The smoke from the fire could still be seen against the haze of the moon, but the fire itself had been put out by the time they had run so far. They were both doubled over, panting heavily. It wasn't a long run - just an adrenaline fueled, exhaustive sprint that had left them tired.  
"What... did you... take?" Seth huffed out, seeing two small red devices and a belt in Holly's hands. Holly huffed for several seconds before answering.  
"This is a pokeball belt... you can't just keep... carrying pokeballs... around like you do." Holly choked.  
"Ha... and... and the red thing?" Seth asked, pointing at the red devices. Holly paused, and straightened up, as if what she was about to say deserved to be respected when she said it.

"This," she said, holding one out, "is a Pokedex."

* * *

**Pokedex:  
Name: **Seth Hopper  
**Location: **Route 16  
**Seen: **9 (New - Magnemite, Nincada, Ledyba, Hitmonchan, Bellsprout, Sealeo, Vulpix, Venomoth, Gligar)  
**Caught: **2 (New - Ledyba, Magnemite)  
**Badges: **0


	5. Stronger

**A/N: Terribly sorry about the chasm of time between updates, I've had various problems and such going on... but I'm back... I fully intend to finish this story, even if it is updated in spurts...  
On with the show!**

* * *

"You know Moss is going to know it's us, don't you?" Holly asked once Seth's admiration for the pokedex had subsided, and he had taken to lying on the floor near some tall grass, clutching the ribs that had doubtlessly sustained permanent damage at this point.  
"What? How? We released all of the pokemon, it could be anyone." He explained, as if it were obvious.  
"Yes, but from the cellar, Dot was the only one who was released. He's a Professor, not an idiot. He'll know."  
"Alright, fair point, but how will he know it was you as well?" The blue haired boy responded, unimpressed by the knowledge that the strongest trainer he'd met would be after him.  
"He… well, he won't, but…" Holly trailed off, looking back at the shadowy buildings of Leapton Town. They hadn't gone far, but for both of them, it was further away from home than they'd ever been.  
"But…?" Seth rolled his hand in a motion for Holly to continue, but the girl didn't even blink. Several long seconds ticked by before she shook her head.  
"Uh… it's nothing. I just… you're…" she paused to sigh heavily, deciding on what to say. "I… want to take my pokemon on an adventure. And… I might as well have that adventure with you."

"Woah, wait." Seth shook his hands and sat up. "What's this adventure? I don't remember agreeing to any adventure. My plans don't involve going anywhere past Smeltite City. I'm going to go there, get back into the Pokemon League, and then I'm going to come _home_. I don't care what Moss sees – his Hitmonchan alone defeated my Ledyba, which defeated Magnemite. It's pretty clear that Magnemite is my only other pokemon. He might not like me but I'll bet it all that his ego won't let him believe that Hitmonchan, Venonat and Gligar could be beaten by what he would consider a weak pokemon."  
"That makes some sense, I'll give you that, but you're missing some important stuff. In Damarcus's eyes, he _owns_ that Ledyba. Do you really think he'll let you co-exist in the same town?"  
"What can he do? He doesn't officially own Dot. It was an off-the-books battle, he's not entitled to anything. The law is on my side."  
"The law? That one Officer Jenny that has one single Jolteon? I don't think she can stop Moss if he tries to take your pokemon by force – and when he does, he'll take both of your pokemon. Seth… you can go home… but you won't be able to keep your pokemon." Seth was stopped cold. He hadn't thought it all the way through like that, hadn't even considered he might not be able to return home. Rather, as Holly had put it, he could, but would inevitably lose his pokemon to Professor Moss. He loved his mother… but he couldn't lose Dot and Buzz.

_Dot… my Ledyba… I don't know how or why, but I had an instant connection with you… you were scared of me at first, not sure how I would treat you… amd a few minutes later you helped and protected me from Jack and Mitchell, and their three pokemon… I've known you for such a short time and I already feel like you're my best friend…_

_Buzz… we started as enemies but look at us now… you stood against Jack for me, you're wanting to fight for what you believe in, and helped me get back Dot… you stood strong against that Venonat and drew it away from us…_

_I can't lose either of you… but I can't just leave my mother like this… and I can't take on the Professor… but Holly… she and I together managed to break into the lab and get out, not to mention saving the other pokemon he had stolen… I'm sure they'd stand with me – no… I know the Nincadas were Mitchell's but I have no idea how many I actually saved. For all I know every other pokemon was Moss's… and he'll have the whole power of the Pokemon League behind him… damn it, what do I do!?_

Seth's gaze turned to steel, and his eyes locked Holly in place.  
"Got an empty pokeball?" He asked, rising to his feet, never blinking or averting his gaze.  
"Y-yes… why?" She took the empty ball from her back pocket.  
"Because," Seth said, taking the ball and pressing the button in the middle to enlarge it, "you're right. Moss and I can't live in the same town – he wouldn't let it happen. So, there's only one thing for it." He stepped dangerously into the tall grass of Route 16, still not taking his eyes off Holly. "I've got to get stronger."

Within seconds, a wild Growlithe had tackled him back to the shorter grass, and was attempting a Bite attack. Seth was struggling desperately, squirming and kicking and rolling until he finally got the powerful puppy off of him. Without hesitation, he took one pokeball from his belt and threw it into the fray. It flashed red in front of Growlithe, blinding the creature temporarily. Magnemite appeared, hovering well. Although the magnet didn't show any signs of it, he was still feeling the effects of the battle at Moss's lab.

"Quickly," Seth commanded, "Thundershock!" Magnemite happily obliged, striking Growlithe with a bolt of lightning, eliciting a yelp from the creature as it fell to the floor.  
"Tackle!" Buzz followed up with a Tackle, smacking the fire type in the ribs. Seth mentally took note that Buzz seemed to have a natural affinity for Tackling things in the ribs. Growlithe took the brunt of the attack and rolled with it, landing on its feet and spraying Buzz with an Ember. The stream of flames coated the steel type in fire, and it quickly fell to the ground, falling out of the burning blast.  
"Quickly, another Thundershock! Stay out of range!" Seth ordered. Buzz did as commanded, hovering around the flames and letting loose another electrical discharge. Growlithe deftly pounced around it, and used Roar. The loud sound erupted from deep within its chest and was able to disorientate Magnemite for a few seconds, as well as send a rush of primal fear through the pokemon. Seth was, like his pokemon, practically paralysed with fear.

Taking advantage, Growlithe turned his attention to the blue haired trainer. It bared its teeth and leapt, ready to Bite. In the last moments, Seth's adrenaline overrode his fear, and he forced himself to move. He drew his other pokeball and released it in front of Growlithe. The typical flash of red came before Dot, who… looked horribly ill. She buzzed weakly, already falling in the second it took Growlithe to make his leap, its body a slight shade more purple than usual. Growlithe met little opposition, Biting Dot viciously, dragging her to the ground and slamming her without mercy before rearing its head back and spraying her with an Ember.

With a scream, Seth sprinted up to Growlithe and kicked it as hard as he could muster. In his blind rage, he hadn't planned where to strike, but dumb luck prevailed, and he struck the spot Magnemite had Tackled earlier. The puppy tumbled off Seth's beloved Ledyba. Seth withdrew his pokemon into the safety of her pokeball and continued sprinting at the fire pokemon, piecing together what had happened. Ledyba had been poisoned during the battle at Moss's lab.

Growithe dodged Seth's second kick, ducking swiftly and turning its head up to the trainer. His head reared slightly as he prepared to spew forth another Ember when a piercing metallic cry sliced through the air: Magnemite's Metal Sound. Seth, Growlithe and Holly were all driven into a crouched position, clutching their ears – or, in Growlithe's case, folding its ears down. Buzz's following Thundershock attack had no hope of being dodged and hit the wild pokemon in the back, driving it to its belly. Refusing to relent and protective of its trainer, Magnemite dove out of the sky for a gravity-enhanced Tackle attack. Growlithe, however, leapt out of the way in anticipation of another Thundershock, and Magnemite had to pull up at the last moment to avoid smacking the earth.

Buzz rose back into the air as the humans recovered, chasing after the speedy pup and firing another Thundershock. The dog would not be hit, turning deftly and dodging the strike in one fluid movement. It leapt into the air, allowing one Thundershock to hit it. It yelped again, but continued forward, snatching Buzz from the air with a Bite and driving the magnet into the ground just as it had done with Ledyba.

Magnemite, however, would not fall as easily. It screeched loudly again, the Metal Sound drawing a whimper from Growlithe's throat, but the dog held its teeth firmly to the metallic body of Buzz. At once, it spewed Ember from its maw and Buzz unleashed Thundershock right down Growlithe's throat. Fire and electricity met, and brutally damaged both pokemon. The onslaught went on for several long, drawn out seconds, while Seth and Holly could do nothing but try to recuperate from Metal Sound. Finally, Growlithe ceased the fire attack, dropping Magnemite and collapsing to its belly. Buzz was completely unconscious, and partially melted to boot. Seth gasped in pure horror. One of the magnetic bars on Buzz's side had warped and deformed, and he had the metallic equivalent of a swollen eye. Seth returned Buzz to its pokeball, eyeing it with concern, then glancing to Dot's ball on his belt, knowing she wasn't exactly in stellar condition either.

He looked back to the Growlithe, which had risen to shaky feet, with one eye closed and blood slowly dripping from its mouth, and was staring him down, ready to fight. It wasn't charging him, it wasn't attacking him, it wasn't even threatening him – it was just _ready_. It had taken a Thundershock to the throat and refused to yelp. It had caused Magnemite some serious harm, but… this Growlithe… it was _strong_. And that's exactly what he needed right now.

"I… I have no more pokemon…" Seth realised. Growlithe had been weakened, but the look in his eyes told Seth it would not be captured. He was mentally preparing himself to actually take the Growlithe on with his bare hands when Holly stepped up beside him.  
"But I do…" she choked out, not looking Seth in the eye, and looking at Growlithe with a look of concern, before releasing her pokemon.

Sealeo was released, readying herself to fight the puppy.

"Hailey, use-"  
"Wait…" Seth said suddenly, drawing all attention to him. "Don't… don't do that. Look, he's… he's actually bleeding from the mouth. It's not… you can't battle him anymore. He's going to stand and fight, and that's awesome for him, but… it's not _fair_. He's beaten me. He shouldn't have to beat you too just to keep living in the wild. And look at him. You can see that he wants to. He's strong, and that's what I need, but… we can't just _bully_ him into doing what I want him to do." Holly smiled warmly at Seth. She hadn't intended to hurt the Growlithe anymore – she intended to have Hailey use Attract, and convince the Growlithe to head back into the grass and talk some sense into the boy. But he had more morals than she had given him credit for. It made her… proud of him.

"Alright," Holly said, withdrawing Sealeo, "let's get to the Smeltite pokemon centre. Your pokemon need it." Seth spared several long moments glancing at the Growlithe, whom still had its head bowed and its back arched ready for a fight, baring its teeth, and the oddly distant Leapton Town, and the outstanding lab where Professor Moss resided, and the smoke still pouring from it. The fire seemed to be down to its last embers.  
"Don't worry about the pup, he'll go back into the grass once we leave, he'll be fine." Holly assured.  
"Yeah…" Seth let out in a mumble.

_It's not Growlithe I'm worried about, it's Moss…_

He let out a heavy sigh before turning his back on it all and heading for Smeltite, Holly in tow.  
"Wait… what about my Mum?" Seth asked, looking at Holly worriedly. She smiled back at him, and it seemed to calm him instantly.  
"We'll call her tomorrow morning from the pokemon centre, don't worry. You'll have to let her know all about how you're going on an adventure." The brunette gave him a playful wink, and he felt joy unrivaled. His pokemon adventure had just begun, and he had all his best friends in the world with him.

He and Holly both failed to notice an angry, battle-driven Growlithe stalking them in the night.

* * *

**Pokedex:  
Name: **Seth Hopper**  
Location: **Route 16**  
Seen: **10 (New - Growlithe)**  
Caught: **2**  
Badges: **0**  
**


	6. Professor Growth's Tournament

_Friends. _The word still felt foreign and unnatural in Seth's mind. He was thoroughly enjoying having them, but he wasn't quite used to it yet. He felt like it may not be real – like it could all just vanish and fade away at any moment, and he'd wake up in the middle of a grassy field being attached by Jack and Mitchell.

But he wasn't going to just wake up. This was really happening. He was sitting in the Smeltite City pokemon centre, alongside Holly, who was asleep on the floor with a blanket over her. They had camped in the centre that night, exhausted after everything they'd done that night. The nurse had provided the blankets, and healed their pokemon for them. It was the Nurse Joy that reminded Seth of his mother – she would be wondering where he was soon. It wasn't uncommon for him to go out at night, but he would always return by morning. He had decided he'd better ring her first thing.

But even as he watched the first rays of sunlight peeking in through the windows and catch Holly's eyes, he felt content. Jack and Mitchell had been left behind, he had completely ruined Professor Moss, and he was beginning his own pokemon adventure.

_And if I'm going to go on a pokemon adventure, who better to go with than Holly?_ He reasoned. Holly was his age, but, as he had seen at the lab, was already very skillful.

Holly yawned, stretched, groaned, and looked up at Seth with one eye open. The blue haired youth laughed openly –her hair was everywhere, and the one eye she barely had open was distant and unfocused.  
"You look funny." He said, smiling.  
"You smell funny." She mumbled, closing her eye and rolling her face away from the filtering sunlight.

Almost half an hour later, Holly was finally standing. Her clothes were lopsided and wrinkled, one eye was still closed and she was hunched over enough that a single shove would have knocked her back to the ground where she probably would have fallen asleep again. Needless to say, Holly was not a morning person.

"Excuse me," Seth said to the nurse, having to restrain himself from calling her 'Mom', "do you have a phone I could borrow?"  
"Oh, sorry, our phone line is actually down right now, a wild Sandslash has torn through a lot of the power lines around here – it's only us and the pokemon lab that have backup generators. Try going there."  
Seth turned to inform Holly, only to see Holly withdrawing her Sealeo.

"Excuse me, miss," Nurse Joy said with a polite tone, "unless they are medical staff, we request that all pokemon remain inside their pokeballs." Holly glared at the nurse as best she could with one eye.  
"Water gun." She commanded hoarsely. Sealeo obligingly sprayed her in the face with cold water. Almost immediately, Holly seemed far more awake, with cold, wet hair clinging to her face. With a beaming smile, she withdrew Sealeo.

"Ready to go?" She asked with a smile, leaving the pokemon centre. Seth could only follow with a confused expression.  
"Do you always do that in the mornings?" He asked as he caught up to her.  
"It's tradition." She replied, searching around briefly before finding Professor Growth's lab and heading towards it, Seth in tow.

* * *

Holly was first to the door, and knocked loudly. After a few seconds of shuffling, Professor Growth opened the door. He was a tall, tanned man, with long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail and a shiny white coat, save for several small patches of orange dotted across it.

"How may I- Holly!" Growth greeted warmly, stepping aside and motioning for the young girl to step inside. Seth followed her in, his eyes fixated upon a piece of paper he was holding.  
"Hi, Professor. We won't take up too much of your time; we really just need to borrow your phone."  
"Ah, all the phones in Smeltite are down, but here, you can use my mobile phone. I'm the only one in Smeltite to own one, you know. You're lucky I'm so trendy." Holly laughed as she took the phone, and began dialing her mother.

"Hey, Professor Growth," Seth asked, holding up the paper, "what's this all about? I found it pinned to a pole outside the lab."  
"Oh, this," Growth responded, taking the paper, "there's a little tournament coming up, for all the younger trainers out there. It's all in a series of 3 on 3 battles, under standard League rules, and trainers must be under seventeen and registered with the League to enter."  
"Yeah, I read all that, but… when is it? Also, what's this prize?"  
"It starts tomorrow, actually, and the prize is five hundred dollars."  
"Is it too late to enter?" Seth asked, wide-eyed.  
"No, no, not at all. I'll just need your League ID, and a list of the four pokemon you'll be using."

Seth's hopes dropped significantly.  
"Uh… but aren't the battles three on three? Why do I need four?"  
"You don't _need _four, but it's advised. Participants are able to switch their teams out between rounds."  
"Oh, okay… um… in that case, can you please enter me into the League?" He forced a smile at the Professor, who seemed slightly taken aback.  
"Oh… but you already have pokemon and a pokedex… I assumed you were already entered. Why do you already have pokemon?"  
"They… were g-gifts." Seth lied badly.  
"Alright…" Growth responded, unconvinced. "Name?"  
"Seth Hopper." A look of recognition flashed across the face of the professor.  
"Ah… you were recently banned from the League by Professor Moss, weren't you?" Seth's resigned look answered for him. "Sorry, Seth, I can't just overrule his decision, as much as I'd like to, purely because I just don't like him."  
"I… okay." Hopper mumbled. His hands fell to his two pokemon… he wanted to take them to great heights, but… now what? Growth let out a heavy sigh.

"Listen, I can't help you, but maybe the League can. If you head up to League Mountain and speak with the officials there, they may be able to help you. But, in the meantime, I'm afraid you can't enter this competition."  
"That's okay… thanks, Professor!" Seth beamed. He had Dot back, and he could still be a part of the League… he may be able to completely override any influence Moss had.  
"Hey, how do you know Holly?" He asked casually, glancing at the brunette as she smiled at something her mother said.  
"Oh, she's visited me a few times before. I taught her how to catch pokemon, and she caught her Vulpix on Route 17 while I watched just two months ago."  
"Oh… cool. Would you be able to teach me? I thought it would just come naturally to me, but I tried capturing a Growlithe on Route 16 and I couldn't."  
"Sorry, son, I'm really quite busy setting up this tournament. I'm sure Holly is more than good enough to teach you, though. Why not ask her?"  
"I just might." Seth turned to Holly again just as she was hanging up.

"Thanks, Professor." She said. "Is it okay if Seth uses the phone, too?"  
"Be my guest." Holly passed the mobile to Seth, who seemed happier than usual.  
"What's up with you?" she asked, a curious frown creasing her features.  
"You're going to enter a tournament!" He announced. Before she could respond, he added, "Listen, if we're going on a pokemon adventure together, we'll need money. The prize is five hundred dollars, and you'll need four pokemon and a League ID. I've seen your Vulpix in battle; you'd win this for sure!" Holly slowly chewed through all the information her friend just dumped on her.

"But… I only have two pokemon." She said. Seth smiled and plucked Dot and Buzz from his belt.  
"Not if you borrow these two."  
"Oh, Seth, I couldn't, I-"  
"Holly, you saved me from drowning, I do owe you a small favour, at the very least." She chuckled slightly, and nodded.  
"Okay. I'll do it."  
"Great. You go enter, I'll call home."  
"Thanks, Seth." Holly smiled, gently taking the two pokeballs from him and walking over to Professor Growth with a skip in her step.

Seth dialled his number, and waited for the nurse that was his mother to answer. While the phone rang, he overheard Holly applying for the tournament.  
"Holly Dixon, ID 07950021. My pokemon are Sealeo, Vulpix, Ledyba and Magnemite."  
"_Hello?_"  
"Mum, hey, it's Seth."  
"_Seth? Where are you? You should be home by now."  
_"I'm… I'm not coming home just yet, I…" He paused to gather up the courage to tell his mother, "I'm going to League mountain, I'm going to become a pokemon trainer."  
"… _Seth… you can't just leave like that. I – one second, please! You need pokemon, sweetie, you need a companion, you need money, you need to be registered, you need to see Professor Moss. You can't – hold on, please! I'll be there shortly. I-"  
_"Who are you talking to?"  
"_Oh, someone is at the door. Will you just wait two minutes, please; I'm on the phone with my son. Seth, just come on home, I'll – fine! Just come on home, I can help you."  
_"Mum, listen; I've done all that stuff, really. I'm travelling with Holly Dress- er, Dixon – I've got two pokemon, we're getting money right now and I'm heading to League Mountain to, um… complete the registration. I'm fine, honestly." The phone was silent for several long seconds before Seth added, "… Mum?"  
"… _I… uh… well, when you're right, you're right, Seth. I'll let you go. I have… I have to… I'm late for something."_ Minerva choked out before hanging up abruptly. Seth frowned at the phone with concern. He had really stressed her out, but what could he do? He couldn't return to Leapton, not yet. Not until he had the League on his side.

"All done." Holly chirped, handing Seth his two pokemon. "Thank you."  
"It's okay." He responded. "Hey!" He perked up, an idea returning to his mind, "the competition doesn't start until tomorrow… how'd you like to take me out to the grass and show me how to catch a pokemon?"  
"Oh, sure!" Holly chimed, grabbing his wrist and leading him towards the door.  
"Haha, have fun you two, and good luck, Holly!"  
"Thanks, Professor! I'll see you tomorrow!"  
Seth and Holly burst outside, headed for Route 15 on the east side of Smeltite City.

* * *

Minerva Hopper was keeping herself busy, bustling around the house, waiting for Seth to come home.

"Not like him to be out this long…" she mumbled to herself as she dusted off a nearby lamp. She was distracted from her own thoughts when the phone started ringing. She was about to pick it up when there was a knock at the door. Knowing Seth had his own keys and would just open the door himself, she opted for the phone first.  
"One moment, please." She called, and then picked up the phone.

"Hello?"  
"_Mum, hey, it's Seth." _Minerva let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding that he was alright.  
"Seth? Where are you? You should be home by now."  
_"I'm… I'm not coming home just yet, I… I'm going to League mountain, I'm going to become a pokemon trainer." _The young boy's mother was stunned into silence for a moment that he'd started this journey without even telling her.  
"… Seth… you can't just leave like that. I-" There was another knock at the door, slightly louder than the last. "One second, please!" She called out before resuming her conversation. "You need pokemon, sweetie, you need a companion, you need money, you need to be registered, you need to see Professor Moss. You can't-" A series of loud knocks interrupted her this time. "Hold on, please! I'll be there shortly. I-"  
"_Who are you talking to?"  
_"Oh, someone is at the door." She put her hand on the phone and turned to face the front door. "Will you just wait two minutes, please; I'm on the phone with my son." Minerva waited a moment for any response before putting the phone back to her face. "Seth, just come on home, I'll-" The person on the other side began banging loudly on the door. It must be something important, she reasoned. "Fine!" She yelled at the door as she was walking towards it. "Just come on home, I can help you."_  
_

Minerva opened the door, and that was when Seth's voice trailed off in her ear completely. On the other side of the door, looking absolutely _furious_, was a disheveled Professor Moss, holding up a small chalkboard. Written on the chalkboard in crooked letters was the phrase:

_Make an excuse, and hang up, __**now.**_

The stocky Magmar standing beside him with fists coated in fire only served to encourage her to do just as the Professor was demanding. Stunned and frightened, she was very distantly aware of Seth's voice in her ear.  
"… _Mum?" _Moss tapped the word 'now' impatiently, fixing her with a glare.  
"… I… uh… well, when you're right, you're right, Seth. I'll let you go. I have… I have to… I'm late for something." She choked before quickly mashing the button to hang up. Moss grinned widely, and Minerva quickly backpedaled into the house as he and his Magmar walked into her home, malice in their eyes.

* * *

**Pokedex:  
Name: **Seth Hopper**  
Location: **Smeltite City**  
Seen: **10**  
Caught: **2**  
Badges: **0


	7. Route 15

"Alright," Holly said as she and Seth slowly stalked through grass tall enough to rise above her shoulders, "the first thing you should know is, I'm not very good at this. Second thing is that Growlithe is not a normal pokemon. Most of them don't battle, and many don't stick around when they do."  
"I thought you just weakened it and threw a pokeball at it?" Seth said, almost tripping over the thick grass.  
"No, no, it's much more delicate than that; otherwise we'd have pokemon masters everywhere."  
"Oh… so what's the trick to it?"

"It's all about balance," Holly answered, pausing to try and peer through the grass, finding nothing, "you've got to be able to weaken it enough to capture it, but pokemon aren't stupid. If they know it's a lost cause, they'll flee. You must be close to their level for it to be a challenge – or, at least, be able to fake that you're at their level. You can't let it get the upper hand, but you also can't let yourself get the upper hand by too much."  
"Oh, okay… that makes sense. Hey, why don't you just release your Vulpix and have her sniff something out?" Seth asked.  
"Most pokemon have no interest in battling. Besides, there's balance in nature, too. Humans can capture as many as we want if we only capture the ones that come out to meet our challenge. Several members of each species stay hidden in the grass and breed. We've already driven five species into extinction; we don't want any more gone."

Suddenly, Holly brought up her hand and stopped moving or making any sort of noise. Seth immediately stopped and began looking for what she was reacting to.  
"Poooch…" a quiet growl came from somewhere in the grass.  
"Oh, feel that?" Holly asked excitedly, pulling two pokeballs from her belt, one of which was empty. "A Poochyena is accepting my challenge." Seth could only look around wondering how in the world Holly was getting this information or how she was in such a comfort zone right now when she was normally one of the shyest people in the world.  
"Where is it?" He asked.  
"Ready? This is a technique Professor Growth taught me." Holly responded, oblivious to the question.

In a flash, the small black dog leapt through the grass, baring its teeth at a broadly smiling Holly. The brunette, knowing it was coming, twisted to face the oncoming dark-type, smacking it with the empty pokeball. The dog was sucked inside in a flash of red light. Without a second thought, Holly lobbed the pokeball back onto the main path of Route 15.  
"That gets it out of the tall grass and into the open." Holly explained, hurriedly rushing to meet it. She and Seth burst back onto the path as Poochyena exploded out from the pokeball.

"Yena…" it growled, crouching low to pounce once more.  
"Come on out, Alexis!" Holly called, releasing the fire fox. Vulpix and Poochyena stared each other down, carefully analysing the other.  
"Quick Attack!" Holly called, and Alexis sped across the grassy path, slamming into the side of the wild pokemon with surprising force. The black pup yelped, skidding across its paws and turning itself to face the fox. Alexis went for another Quick Attack in rapid succession, but the Poochyena was wise to it this time, leaping aside as it used Sand-Attack, blinding the fox. Vulpix retaliated with a blind tail whip, but Poochyena ducked swiftly underneath and used Bite on the back of her leg.

"Roar!" Holly cried, and Alexis responded with a chilling roar befitting a larger creature. Poochyena immediately released her and scurried back, whimpering. It was about to turn tail and run, but the Vulpix was still wiping sand from her eyes. Poochyena let out a massive Roar of its own, scaring Alexis and forcing her to run head-first into a tree.

Poochyena sprinted at the fox, preparing for a Tackle attack. But before it reached, Vulpix had turned, her eyesight restored.  
"Quick Attack!" Holly ordered again. Poochyena changed tactics and sidestepped around the fire-type, then rounded on it, ready to Bite its leg again.  
"Why don't you use Fl-" Seth began.  
"I'm waiting for the right time." Holly lied, slightly embarrassed that she'd simply overlooked the move. "Tail Whip!" Vulpix swung her tail at the dog, forcing it to dodge once again. It spun, and used another almighty Roar, petrifying human and pokemon alike. All could only watch as the pup bashed Vulpix head on with a Tackle attack, forcing her to topple backwards.

Vulpix gracefully rolled onto her paws, only to see Poochyena thundering towards her for another Tackle. Not waiting for her master, who was still frozen in place by Poochyena's Roar, she took it upon herself to leap over the dog, turning to face it in mid-air. Poochyena had been angered, but seemed to have figured out a nice Roar-Tackle combination. It sucked in a deep breath, ready to Roar, when Holly regained herself.  
"Imprison!" She ordered, and at once a wave of Psychic energy completely supressed the attack.  
"What… what does that do?" Seth asked, fascinated. He had never seen that attack before.  
"It stops Poochy from using any attack Alexis knows. Alexis, Quick Attack again!"

The fire-type dashed at the dark-type, and once again Poochyena deftly leapt aside, glaring at the speedy fox. Vulpix ran at it once more, but Poochyena didn't move. It dug one paw into the sand, ready. Holly picked up on this, and refused to let Alexis fall into another Sand-Attack trap.  
"Ember!" She called, and a small breath of flame overwhelmed the sand as soon as Poochyena flicked it up, and the Quick Attack hit its mark, driving Poochyena to the floor.

"Alright, let's see how we do here…" Holly mumbled, throwing the pokeball at Poochyena. It struck, and the dog was absorbed in a red flash.  
"Yes!" Seth cheered, "You did it! I knew you'd do it!"  
"It's not sealed yet." Holly said, holding up a finger as she focused intently on the gently wobbling pokeball. It wobbled for a few moments, then the Poochyena burst out. Holly slouched her shoulders a little; she'd hoped it was caught.  
"Oh… oh well, keep going! You got this!" Seth encouraged, and Holly brightened up a little.  
"Alright, Alexis, let's…" Holly trailed off, seeing the Poochyena's next move – it was moving weirdly, puffing itself up and taunting the Vulpix. A Swagger attack. Vulpix was about to be confused.

"Alexis! Use Confuse Ray, then _stop attacking_!" Holly called. Swagger and Confuse Ray were used in unison, and both pokemon had a strange, confused look in their eyes. Vulpix clung to the only order she could clearly remember; _stop attacking_. She calmly sat down and waited for the exploding purple bubbles and thundering drum sounds to leave her reality.

Poochyena, meanwhile, was alternating between Howling, Tackling the air, and biting itself on the leg. Holly and Seth both watched tensely as the two pokemon were in a strange kind of stalemate.  
"Is capturing a pokemon always this difficult?" A voice mocked. Seth and Holly turned to see a small, weedy boy wearing board shorts and a singlet beaming a cocky smile at them.  
"How many have you caught, exactly?" Seth quipped, putting himself between the boy and Holly, as if defending her.  
"One so far, but I've only tried once, and that took me ten seconds." The boy responded. "My name is Stanley Price, and I'm going to become the first pokemon master. But, for now, since we've locked eyes, we have to battle." Stanley held up his two pokeballs, ready for a battle.

Seth glanced at the scene before him; Vulpix and Poochyena were both confused. He had some time to have another pokemon battle. He tallied it up with a fleeting thought – Ledyba vs. Magnemite and two Nincadas, Ledyba vs. Hitmonchan and then his pokemon were a part of the entire ordeal at Professor Moss's lab. All in all, he had been present for three pokemon battles. This would be number four – and, judging by the shiny nature of the two pokeballs Stanley was holding out, he had only just acquired these pokemon, making Seth the more experienced of the two.

"You're on." Seth said, walking into the centre of the path opposite Stanley.  
"Go, Staryu!"  
"Dot, let's go!" The two boys cried in unison. Staryu and Ledyba appeared on Route 15 opposite each other, ready for battle.  
"Rapid Spin!" Stanley ordered, and the star pokemon speared through the air, spinning wildly, aiming for Ledyba. Dot swiftly buzzed above it, and struck the pokemon with a blast of Silver Wind, knocking the star into the dirt.  
"Oh, awesome!" Seth cheered, only learning about Silver Wind now, "Let's follow up with Psybeam!"  
"Water Gun!" Stanley responded. Staryu rose to spray water at the ladybug only to be smacked with Psychic energy and knocked back slightly.  
"Supersonic, quickly!" Seth called out, figuring Ledyba was probably at a high enough level to know it. His assumption paid off, and the rippling waves of confusing energy affected Staryu in the same way Vulpix and Poochyena were being affected. Seth spared a glance their way, noting the situation hadn't changed at all, and grinned. He might just finish up this battle before Holly finished hers.

"Come on, Staryu, use Harden!" Stanley called, knowing an assault was forthcoming.  
"Dot, Silver Wind, and don't stop until you've won!" Staryu used Harden, but Ledyba came in close and drowned the water-type in Silver Wind. The constant spray of the attack disoriented Staryu further, and it fell to the ground, smacked its centre crystal on the ground, and succumbed to the onslaught of Silver Wind. In moments, it had fainted.  
"Aw… Staryu, come back." Stanley said, returning the star to its pokeball. "Oh well, that was the one I only just caught. Are you ready for my starter?"  
"Bring it on." Seth said. This was about as much fun as he had ever had, battling alongside Dot. Stanley threw his other pokeball, and out popped a plump Spheal.  
"Spheal!" It cried, seemingly very happy.

"Powder Snow!" Stanley yelled.  
"Silver Wind!" Seth responded. Ledyba's Silver Wind cancelled out the blast of snow, which would have surely had an adverse effect on Dot's wings.  
"Fine, Water Pulse!" Stanley ordered, and Spheal fired a pulsating beam of water of the ladybug. Dot buzzed around the pressured stream with ease.  
"Psybeam!" Seth said, and Ledyba reacted, firing a beam of psychic might at Spheal.  
"Defense Curl!" Stanley ordered. Spheal ignored the order, opting to roll out of the way instead of taking the attack, and then shot another Water Pulse, which Dot easily avoided.

"Get in low and Psybeam again." Dot did as commanded, buzzing along the grass and shooting a Psybeam from point blank. Spheal shot Powder Snow at the same time, and both pokemon tumbled across the grass.  
"Defence Curl, quick!" Stanley prompted. Spheal used Defence Curl instead of getting up like Dot did.  
"It's staying still, Dot! Spray that Silver Wind again!" Dot rose into the air slightly and sprayed the same silver bullets that had bested Staryu.  
"Ice Ball!" Stanley called excitedly. It was this command that caught Holly's attention enough for her to turn away from Vulpix and Poochyena.

Spheal coated itself in a layer of ice, and powered off the ground with a surprising amount of speed. Obscured by Silver Wind, Ledyba had no idea it was coming. The ice coated Spheal smacked into her underbelly, drilling her into a tree. Pieces of bark and ice splintered off and Dot was imbedded into the tree. She tensed for a second, and then went limp.  
"Dot…" Seth gasped. "What… just happened?"  
"Using Defence Curl before Ice Ball doubles its strength." Holly explained, looking up at Dot worriedly.

"Yep, and your pokemon lost." Stanley gloated. Spheal perched itself on a branch near where Dot was stuck. Now that the ice-type had moved, he could see that the tips of Dot's wings had small shards of ice in them. He would need to take her to a pokemon centre immediately.  
"It's okay, Dot. I still love you." Seth said, holding up Dot's pokeball and aiming it at her.

Dot jerked her eyes open. Without warning, she launched herself from the tree, snatched the Spheal that failed to pay attention, and tossed it in the air.  
"Spheal! I-Ice beam!" Stanley quickly cried. Spheal coated itself in ice, but was unable to do anything. As it fell back to earth, Dot caught it with a blast of Psybeam, breaking the ice and kicking the seal back into the air. The ice in Dot's wing finally got the best of her, and she fell to the ground. She landed awkwardly, but forced herself up, and her wings fluttered like mechanical saws as she sped across the ground. Spheal was coming back to ground, spewing Powder Snow at the ladybug, but Dot would not be denied. She sped through the attack, allowing every flake of snow to strike, and intercepted Spheal with a barrage of Comet Punches. Seth, Holly and Stanley all stared open-mouthed as the barrage ended, and Dot forced a few last flaps of her little wings, gaining just enough air to fly straight at Seth. The blue haired boy caught his first pokemon in his arms just as the strain overwhelmed her. Spheal skidded to a quick stop, and both it and Dot had fainted.

"… That… was… AWESOME!" Stanley screamed, withdrawing his Spheal. "How'd your Ledyba do that?"  
"Her name's Dot, and… and I don't know…" Seth answered truthfully, staring down at the Ledyba in his arms with pride. Apparently, she knew Comet Punch, too.  
"That was amazing, Seth…" Holly said, in awe of the bug.  
"I didn't do it, she did." Seth answered, withdrawing Dot into her pokeball.  
"But she was down and out until you said you loved her, Seth." Holly argued. "I wish I shared a bond like that…"  
"You do, Holly."  
"I don't… I can't even catch that damn Poochyena… they've been swapping confusion inflicting attacks for five minutes, I'm a pathetic trainer." Holly hung her head slightly.  
"Aw, come on," Stanley pleaded, "He thinks you're good, and I've seen how good he is, so you must be good! Show me what you can really do, stop holding back!"  
"I-" Holly managed to stutter before being interrupted by Seth.  
"Come on, Holly. Trust me – even if you don't think you can do it…" he held up Dot's pokeball to her, "your pokemon _can_."

Holly processed what the two boys had said for several seconds before turning back to her own battle.  
"…Alexis!" She called, "time to wrap this up. Double-Edge!" Alexis responded immediately, sprinting across the grassy path and slamming into Poochyena head-on with spectacular force. The dark-type pup was smacked into the air, tumbling wildly, unable to focus on anything. "Quick Attack!" Holly yelled, and her Vulpix ran to where her opponent would land, intercepting it with a forceful slam into its side. The dog tumbled across the dirt and into a tree, showing no signs of consciousness.

"Flamethr-"  
"Stop!" Seth called, as Vulpix was readying herself to breathe a hefty amount of flame on the pokemon lying before her. She turned to her master, waiting to see what she wanted.  
"…Stop?" Holly questioned, confused. "You wanted me to release the potential of my Vulpix, and that's what I'm doing. Now you want me to stop just because it looks like I've got the upper hand? This was all your idea, Seth. I'm not just letting this Poochyena get away."  
"…I just didn't want her setting fire to the forest." Seth said, raising his hands defensively.  
"…Oh." Holly said, her pose resorting into the shy, unsure state that Seth knew her for before everything that had happened on the Leapton shoreline.  
"Why do you look so sad all of a sudden?" Stanley interjected. "Look, you've almost caught it!" This made Holly perk up – it had been so long since she had been given her Spheal, and now, finally, she could give Hailey another friend.  
"Awesome…" she breathed, unable to say anything else, and threw an empty pokeball. The dog was absorbed in a red flash, and the entire battlefield went silent.

The pokeball stayed still for three incredibly long, drawn-out seconds, rocked once slightly, and then went still. A small ding went off that echoed through the trees.  
Several more long seconds passed before Holly finally accepted what had happened.  
"YES! YES! I DID IT!" She cried, and crushed Seth in the tightest hug she'd ever given.  
"I knew you could." Seth replied honestly.  
"Alexis, you did it!" The brunette continued, breaking away from Seth and running to give her Vulpix a tight hug.

"Wow, she _is _pretty good." Stanley whispered to Seth as the two of them watched Holly gleefully look between her pokeball and her Vulpix, so proud of them both.  
"Yeah, but she doesn't seem to think so." Seth responded. "I've seen her connection with her pokemon and how good they can be. Her Vulpix beat a pokemon in five seconds, and that pokemon was able to beat my Ledyba."  
"Woah…"  
"Yep. She's had her Sealeo for longer, though, so I can only guess how good she is. But her own self-doubt holds her back. Just you wait until she _knows_ she's good. Then she'll be amazing."

Holly withdrew Vulpix and came over to the two boys, holding three full pokeballs in her hands.  
"Look! Look!" She cried, overflowing with joy.  
"I'm really proud of you, Holly. But we'd better get to the pokemon centre. You'll need every pokemon at full strength for the competition tomorrow."  
"Oh wow, you're going to be in the competition? I'll be there cheering for you, then!" Stanley said excitedly.  
"Yeah, she's in it – and she's gonna _win."_ Seth responded, patting Holly on the back.

The three of them all turned and began walking to the pokemon centre, excited for the competition tomorrow.

* * *

As soon as they crossed back into Smeltite City, Stanley turned and headed in a different direction.  
"Okay, I'll see you guys tomorrow." He said, waving. "Look out for me, okay?"  
"Wait," Holly said, "aren't you going to the pokemon centre?"  
"Oh, no, I've got these." He replied, holding up his two pokeballs. At first glance they seemed to be ordinary pokeballs, but the more Seth and Holly looked at it, the more it became clear – the red portion of the pokeball had more of a pink tint than was normal.  
"…what do they do?" Seth asked after several seconds, wondering why the boy didn't just tell them outright.  
"These are Health Balls. They're like a portable pokemon centre. These are healing my pokemon right now."  
"Woah!" Seth gushed, "Where did you get those?" Stanley smiled at the ground.  
"Price Industries are developing a lot of different types of pokeballs, and since I'm the son of the owner, I get to test them out and keep some for free. If you want some, and happen to have a lot of money to spare, Price Industries is in Skyfall, if you're ever in the area."  
"Awesome!" Seth cheered. "Thanks!"  
"Don't mention it. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He began walking off again, tucking his two healing pokemon back onto his belt.

"We need those." Seth said simply.  
"We need _all _of those." Holly agreed. As one, they turned to each other, nodded, and continued their walk to the pokemon centre.

_Five hundred dollars, _Seth thought, _here we come!_

* * *

**Pokedex:  
Name: **Seth Hopper**  
Location: **Smeltite City**  
Seen:** 13 (New - Poochyena, Staryu, Spheal)**  
Caught: **2**  
Badges: **0


	8. Second Round: Holly vs Kyle

"Holly, wake up." Seth groaned, nudging the brunette. They had slept overnight at the pokemon centre once more, and Holly had managed to start on a couch and end up on the floor in the centre of the room, her blankets crumpled up and strewn across the couch. Holly let out a small moan and batted Seth away weakly.  
"You're really bad at mornings." Seth noted.  
"You're bad at… yeah." Holly grunted, rolling away from Seth and promptly falling back to sleep. The boy sighed and chuckled.  
"This'll take a while." He noted to himself.

* * *

Almost a full hour later, they were up and walking to Professor Growth's lab. Seth kept a consistent lookout for Stanley, but couldn't see him during the walk.  
"Okay," Seth said as they crossed into the lab, "I guess I should give you these." He pulled Ledyba and Magnemite from his belt, and released them both. They each rose into the air slightly and hovered in place.  
"Led?"  
"Mag?"  
"They both asked what you want." Holly informed.  
"Thanks. Guys, Holly's going to enter a tournament today, and she needs your help. You're gonna be part of her team. I'll be watching from the sidelines and cheering you all on. Okay?"  
"Led!"  
"_Miiiite!_"  
"They're happy to do it. Thanks, guys." Holly interpreted, reaching up and giving Dot a gentle scratch on the head. "Wait – where is everybody?"  
"At the Gym." Professor Growth spoke, walking into his lab from the rear entrance and giving Holly and Seth a start. "That's where the competition is. You're both lucky I was running a tad late today or you'd have never made it!" Holly shot Seth a deadpan expression, to which Seth just grinned and shrugged.  
"I um… I must have missed that bit on the sheet." He admitted.  
"No matter," Growth spoke up, "I'm just on my way there now, we can all walk together. Come, come." Seth withdrew his pokemon, and the two of them followed.

"Professor," Holly began as the three of them travelled to the Smeltite Gym, "why is it being held at the Gym?"  
"The Smeltite Gym is the largest arena in Smeltite City." Growth responded. "The closest arena to here that matches it for size is up on League Mountain."  
"Oh… so, some of these people are pretty good then?" Holly asked, hoping against logic that the answer was no.  
"Oh, yeah, we get some brilliant battles in this one. This year the son of the Gym Leader is competing, too, so we're expecting some pretty big things from him." Holly swallowed nervously.  
"Don't worry about it, Holly, you just need to focus and give it everything, like you did when you caught your Poochyena."  
"Oh? You caught another pokemon?" Growth raised his eyebrows and faced Holly, clearly impressed.  
"Yeah… I'm not sure what to name him yet, though. Oh, Professor. Is it too late to change the pokemon I'll be using in this competition?"  
"I'm afraid it is, Miss Dixon. You won't be allowed to bring your Poochyena on the battlefield, either. I can hold it for you if you'd like?" Holly took Poochyena off her belt and looked at the ball.  
"No, that's alright." She smiled, "Seth, would you hold it for me?"  
"Yeah, sure. Maybe my belt won't feel so empty this way." He smiled.

"So, how is this all going to work? What sort of rules are there?" Seth asked once he noticed the Gym in sight.  
"You two really haven't planned well for this, have you?" Growth chuckled. "Each contestant has three or four pokemon. At the start of each battle, they are told each other's teams, and select which of their three to bring into the battle, as well as which pokemon to start with. They face off in a series of one-on-one battles until all three pokemon on one team are unable to battle, and the winner advances to the next round. It's a standard tournament bracket."  
"How many people are there? And how many rounds?" Holly added.  
"We have thirty entrants, meaning there will be four rounds, and then the championship match. It also means two people will have a bye in the first round. I can't chat anymore, kids; I have to go and help backstage. Good luck, Holly!" Growth concluded as they entered the Gym, disappearing into a thick crowd of people.

"Woah…" Seth commented. Holly immediately shrunk, almost looking like she thought she were a turtle and was retreating into her shell. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't manage to force the words out. The amount of people in this Gym must have been more than the amount of people in all of Leapton Town.  
"Come on," Seth urged, grabbing Holly by the wrist and leading her through the crowd, "I can see a booth that looks important."

"Hi, is this where we go to… like… sign up?" Seth asked a bemused old lady inside the booth. She almost looked like she had imagined the most horribly boring place in the world and been transported there, and her long grey hair hung limply by her sides.  
"Yes." She drawled.  
"Awesome. This is Holly… um… Holly Dixon. What's your League ID?" He prompted. Holly, barely looking the old woman in the eye, reached into her pocket and pulled out her League ID.  
"07950021. Holly Dixon. Sealeo, Vulpix, Ledyba and Magnemite. Correct?" Holly nodded her head, staring firmly at an insignificant speck on the ground.  
"Congratulations, Holly, you've been granted a bye for the first round. You'll be facing the winner of the sixth match – Kyle or Carrie. Please go and wait over by in the participant's room." She held up a bony arm and pointed at a large sign with the word 'Entrants' on it in block letters. "Oh, wait, here's your ticket." She handed the shy brunette a laminated piece of blue paper with the number 31 written on it in purple letters. "You'll need that."  
"Cool, thanks." Seth said, dragging holly towards the back of the Gym.

"Tickets." The large, stocky man in front of the door to the participant's room said as Seth and Holly tried to walk through. His tanned, hairy skin and long, greasy black hair seemed to frame his muscles and give off an intimidating aura. Holly quietly handed the man her number 31, which he looked at, grunted, checked a clipboard, and grunted again before handing it back.  
"Come on in, Holly. And you?" He looked at Seth, holding out his gargantuan palm.  
"Oh, I'm not an entrant." Seth forced out, somewhere in the back of his mind hoping he wouldn't get beaten up by this man.  
"Can't come back here, then. Spectators seats are all around the outside." He straightened up and folded his arms, and towered over Seth when he stood at full height.  
"…Th-thanks." Seth choked, backpedaling towards the seats.

* * *

Seth sat in his seat towards the back row for over an hour without too much interest. It was the closest seat he could find, and his view was being blocked by an extremely fat woman, but he could make out enough of the action by the shockwaves and after effects of the attacks. Some of the kids had pokemon that could fly – he was lucky enough to have a Spearow swoop right over his head before spinning back into the air and towards the battlefield, as well as being able to watch a Pidgeotto and a Murkrow battle it out at the top of the Gym. He wasn't even able to witness Kyle and Carrie's battle, but apparently Kyle's team of bug pokemon was able to easily overpower Carrie's team of grass types.

It wasn't long before Seth simply took to walking amongst the crowd, looking for Stanley, or at least a gap so he could see the battles. He was distracted by the sudden applause and cheering he was surrounded by. Through the crowd of people at the front that were jumping, he managed to see a tall, blonde haired boy celebrating a win with his Ralts in the final match of the first round.

A long while passed as each contestant had their pokemon healed, during which people slowly filed in and out of the arena to get food or for toilet breaks, and Seth managed to work his way to the front of the crowd. He did another quick check, but couldn't find Stanley Price anywhere. He shrugged it off – the arena was huge. Or, if Stan were anything like them, he might have just slept in and gone to the lab by mistake.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, time for round two of the Smeltite City Youth Tournament!" Professor Growth announced through a microphone. "We saw a lot of great moves and strong pokemon and trainers in the first round, but they're going to have to step it up a notch in this round! Our first match sees Kyle Newt from Skyfall face off against Holly Dixon from Mantenno Port!" Seth cheered unnaturally loud as the brunette walked out onto the field. He watched with pride as she took a very particular pokeball from her belt. He wasn't sure how exactly he knew, but that was his Ledyba in there that she had chosen to lead her in battle.

"Begin!" Growth announced, and both Kyle and Holly lobbed their pokeballs into the arena. The crowd buzzed a little at the match-up before them – Ledyba vs. Butterfree.  
"Like we planned, Dot." Holly said.  
"Get 'em, Butterfree!" Kyle ordered. The two bugs buzzed at each other, meeting in Kyle's half of the field, showing Holly exactly what she wanted to know – Dot was faster. At the last possible moment, Dot swooped to the side, dodging the inevitable Confusion attack. Butterfree immediately turned to give chase.  
"Go left!" Holly called. Butterfree elected to turn left, trying to cut off the ladybug, but Dot turned right, completely throwing Butterfree off before rising towards the ceiling.  
"Stun Spore!" Kyle announced, and Butterfree responded, shooting a cloud of spores up at Dot.  
"Silver Wind!" Holly yelled, and Seth's Ledyba responded with a powerful bug-type spray. The spray mixed with the spores and overpowered them, and the result was a weak silvery mist raining onto Butterfree.  
"Grab her!" Kyle called. Butterfree reached out with psychic energy, trying to grab hold of Ledyba with a Confusion attack, but the ladybug was too fast, buzzing effortlessly sideways before zooming in on the butterfly.  
"Stun Spore!"  
"Silver Wind!" The two trainers ordered again. This time, however, Ledyba was quicker, and the Silver Wind vastly overpowered the spores, striking Butterfree and knocking her around mercilessly. Without the spores in the way, Ledyba descended onto the enemy.

Ledyba plummeted into the falling Butterfree, but was too overzealous. Butterfree flapped her large wings once, sweeping around Ledyba's flight path and releasing a cloud of Stun Spores. Dot was unable to dodge, falling straight into the cloud and being paralysed almost immediately. Butterfree reached out and caught Ledyba with a Confusion attack, dragging her back into the air with an invisible psychic grip. Holly waited until Ledyba had tumbled within Butterfree's psychic field and was presented with the perfect opportunity.  
"Psybeam!" She called. Her entire mind was occupied by the pokemon battle – she had completely tuned out the entire crowd. Her timidness had completely vanished into a desire to win, to take this pokemon belonging to her friend to victory. Ledyba gladly obeyed, and the blast from Psybeam not only damaged Butterfree and caught her off guard but got Ledyba out of her grip. Unfortunately, this meant Ledyba was left to fall, paralysed, into the floor of the arena.

The soft thud drew a collective wince from the ground, especially from Seth, who couldn't help but compare the scene of Dot falling helplessly into the ground with the image of Mitchell's Nincada doing exactly that. He'd thought that Nincada would die from the fall, and, although everything turned out fine for him, the experience had apparently left a mental would on the blue haired pokemon trainer.

Oblivious to Seth's reaction, Holly and Dot carried on with the battle.  
"Get her, Butterfree! Tackle the hell out of her!" Kyle ordered. Butterfree tucked in her wings and speared towards Dot with a high pitched whistle screaming off of her.  
"Psy…" Holly began, but without need. Dot had already shot a Psybeam of her own accord. She mistimed it, however, leaving Butterfree enough time to simply open her wings and fly around the attack. She banked in the air and flew towards Dot on her blindside. This time, the Tackle struck Dot square in the back, rolling her onto her front.  
"Again! Keep going!" Kyle called. Butterfree banked and swooped again and again, striking Dot with a total of three more Tackles, each time forcing her back onto her belly, not allowing her any chance for a stray Psybeam.

As Butterfree came in for a fifth Tackle, with Dot beginning to look battered from the repeated hits, Holly came up with a brilliant plan.  
"Silver Jetpack!" She called. A murmur of confusion spread over the entire crowd – except for Seth, who grinned.

_Brilliant. I knew you could pull off something amazing. _He thought.

Dot seemed to understand the intention, too. She sprayed a blast of Silver Wind straight into the ground, propelling her off the ground like a silver jetpack, dodging the incoming Tackle. Butterfree, caught completely by surprise, flew straight into the shower of silver, taking every hit straight on. Dot elegantly directed the silver spray to orient herself towards the butterfly.  
"Supersonic!" Holly called. A small cheer came from the crowd, who were expecting another Psybeam at this point. The Supersonic caught Butterfree head on, and the bug was confused.  
"Damn it! Butterfree, come over here and land!" Kyle ordered, but it was too late. His pokemon was already in a deep confusion, and opted instead for a Poisonpowder attack.  
"You're already paralysed, you can't be poisoned too! Dot, silver jetpack again, and Psybeam that bug into the ground!" Holly called, her voice growing more confidence and authority by the second. Dot did as commanded without question, blasting into the air, spinning in place and shooting two pulsating Psybeams into the confused and delirious butterfly. It was a soft, almost graceful thud when Dot hit the floor this time.

"Woo!" Seth cheered loudly, ignoring the disgruntled spectators around him. He cheered again when Dot's wings buzzed, and the injured ladybug rose back into the air, albeit with one eye closed and swollen slightly.  
"Alright, go, Silver Wind!"  
"_Now _use Poisonpowder!" The trainers called. Butterfree's confusion wore off at exactly the right time for Kyle, and his pokemon charged straight for Seth's. The two attacks collided, but Poisonpowder was more of a cloud than Stun Spore, and the Silver Wind simply pierced right through, hitting Butterfree in the face and sternum while the powder coated Dot, poisoning the ladybug.  
"Damn it." Seth, Kyle and Holly all cursed. That hadn't gone ideally for any of them.  
"Psybeam, then the finisher!" Holly commanded. Dot buzzed through what was left of the poisonous cloud – after all, no need to fear being poisoned again – and struck the bug with a psychic force that kicked her into the air. Following on, just like she had done to Stanley's Spheal, Dot flew steady, intercepting the tumbling butterfly with an intense Comet Punch. The attack leveled Butterfree, and Dot turned skyward as Butterfree crashed into the ground, and stopped moving.

"Butterfree has been eliminated. Holly is leading, three pokemon to two." Growth called. Kyle scowled as he withdrew Butterfree.  
"That's fine." He grinned, grabbing another pokeball.  
"Competitors, choose your next pokemon." Holly waved with her hand for Ledyba to come over to her, while Kyle held his chosen pokeball, ready for Growth to announce for him to release it.  
"Okay, Dot, you've been poisoned, and since this is official League rules, I can't use any sort of antidote right now." Holly whispered. "You won't win this next battle, but I know his pokemon already. He's got a Beedrill and a Pinsir. Since you're already poisoned, he'll most likely choose his Pinsir. It will come at you hard and fast, and you won't be able to do much, and flying around and dodging is going to just leave time for the poison to take its toll. I want you to fly straight at this Pinsir, and use Supersonic, and then just keep hitting it with Psybeams and Silver Winds. You ready?"  
"Ledyba!"  
"Haha, maybe for a pokemon as talented as you."  
"Led…"  
"Alright, let's do this."

Ledyba buzzed back out into the arena, staring at Kyle defiantly. He seemed surprised about something, but smiled and shrugged. He threw his pokeball, and sure enough, standing before Dot was a powerful, stocky Pinsir.  
"Begin!" Professor Growth called. Pinsir and Ledyba charged each other, colliding on Kyle's side of the Gym, where Ledyba was caught in Pinsir's powerful grip. As instructed, Ledyba struck first with a successful, point blank Supersonic attack, dazing and confusing the large bug. Still trapped in Pinsir's grip, she opted first for a spray of Silver Wind, then for a focused Psybeam, which managed to make the large bug stumble – but that was all.  
"Slam her!" Kyle ordered, and the large bug simply turned slightly, raising Dot above his head and readying a Seismic Toss. Nothing could stop him from slamming her ruthlessly into the floor, where she lay and stopped moving. A collective cheer came from the crowd at the power of Pinsir.  
"Ledyba has been eliminated. The contestants are tied with two pokemon each. Choose your next pokemon." Growth spoke through several speakers, and Holly withdrew Dot sadly. She had hoped the ladybug would last longer in the second battle. She spared a sad glance around the arena, looking for Seth, but not finding him before the realization dawned on her that she needed to pick her next pokemon.

For this battle, Holly had decided to leave Buzz in her reserve, bringing Ledyba, Sealeo and Vulpix onto the field. And, while she was confident in Sealeo's ability to dispatch Pinsir, she wanted her fire fox fighting for her in this battle. The type advantage was too much to pass up. She took Alexis's pokeball, and looked up, only to see Kyle withdrawing Pinsir, and unclasping his Beedrill's pokeball. She looked around stunned. She had no idea she could change pokemon if she won.  
"So that's why he was surprised earlier… he expected me to switch Ledyba out… damn it!" She mumbled to herself.  
"Let's go, Beedrill!"  
"Alexis, you're up." The two pokemon exploded in a flash of red and appeared on their respective sides of the Gym.  
"Begin!" Growth called.

"Get up on the ceiling!" Kyle called before Growth had even finished his word. Beedrill instantly flew straight up and stuck to the roof, looking down on a stunned Vulpix, who had no hope of reaching.  
"What now?" Holly yelled out to Kyle, surprising herself. While this could barely be counted as trash talking, it was the most she'd ever done.  
"Now? Focus Energy!" Kyle answered, and Beedrill closed his eyes and began to use the move.  
"Spook." Holly ordered, covering her ears. It was this moment that made her glad she'd decided to use code words for some attacks and manoeuvres. Kyle didn't know what was coming, so he couldn't avoid or plan for it. Alexis's mighty Roar not only scared Kyle to the point that his knees buckled and he fell into a seating position, but Beedrill's focus was shattered completely. Several long, tense seconds passed before the fear towards Alexis went away, and Kyle was standing again.

"Fine then. Beedrill, poison rain!" Beedrill hovered to the mid-point between the ground and ceiling, and threw as many Poison Sting attacks at Alexis as it could. Alexis was not slow, and deftly dodged each one while waiting for Holly to give another command. But the command wasn't forthcoming – Holly was watching intently, waiting for a moment where Vulpix would be able to take advantage. Unfortunately, Beedrill was just too far up for anything to work. Alexis could Roar again, but Beedrill would flee into the ceiling again, and there would be no chance to follow up with an attack. And so, she waited, unable to do anything else but wait for the bee pokemon to run out of Poison Stings.

By the time Holly noticed the real point of the poison rain, it was too late. Beedrill had been consistently using String Shot the whole time, a fact missed by Holly and most likely communicated by 'poison rain', and constantly hitting the same portion of the arena floor, creating a sticky trap. The Poison Stings were merely herding her into the trap, which Alexis was unable to see, as her attention was on Beedrill and the Poison Sting attacks. Holly opened her mouth just as Alexis landed in the sticky trap face first with a yelp of surprise.  
"Good!" Kyle applauded. "Hit her with all of it!"  
"Ember! Burn away the string!" Holly yelled urgently. Alexis did as ordered, but wasn't able to burn her way through it all fast enough. Beedrill descended on her and hit simultaneous Poison Sting and Fury Attacks. Alexis's side was punctured, bloodied and poisoned, and the firefox yelped with pain as the string was burnt away from her face. Still with a constant stream of ember coming from her, she turned her head and hit the bee pokemon with the stream of flame. Beedrill screamed and flew away, spiralling rapidly in the air to try to fan out the flames.

Beedrill turned as the flames went out, with only one of its wings burnt at the tips and its body charred slightly black. He was injured, but by no means defeated.  
"Focus." Kyle ordered, and Beedrill did began Focus Energy, with Alexis completely occupied by burning away the remainder of the string.  
"Go, get him!" Holly ordered, and Vulpix sprinted at a breakneck speed at the bug pokemon.  
"Beedrill!" Kyle yelled urgently just as Beedrill had completed its Focus Energy. "Poison rain!" His voice cracked slightly as his pokemon hurriedly showered the Poison Stings at the charging fire fox.  
"Ember! Burn them up!" Holly yelled. Her voice was even more passionate than it was during the Ledyba versus Butterfree battle.

The steady stream of flame was burning up every Poison Sting attack that came her way, and the stray pile of String Shots was proving to be completely useless this time, since Vulpix refused to move save for turning her head to meet any incoming attack. She was starting to look rather sickly – the earlier Poison Sting that struck her was starting to have a visible effect, and would continue to do so the longer the battle was drawn out. Fortunately, Holly had already planned out her next move – this battle would be over before the poison could do too much damage.

"Keep it up, Alexis!" Holly proclaimed with a smile. "He can't touch you from that far away!"  
"Then you'd better get in close and keep the Poison coming, Beedrill!" Kyle responded. "She can't burn them all up if they're concentrated!" Beedrill, keeping up a constant stream of Poison Stings and abandoning the String Shots completely, slowly lowered himself towards the fox's flames. Holly waited and waited, even biting her tongue and watching on as two separate stings made it through the flame and struck her pokemon in the side. Then, when the bee was far too close for its own good…  
"Flamethrower!" She called. There was nothing Kyle or his Beedrill could do to stop it – there wasn't enough distance between them. The massive stream of flames completely overwhelmed the shower of Poison Stings, enveloping Beedrill completely. The bee screamed and flew into the sky away from the flames, heavily injured and burnt but still battling… but the battle was over. Beedrill's wings were too burnt away to fly. It flew as high as it could before it was completely unable, falling back to earth without any sort of wind break, and crashing into the arena floor where it lay motionless.

"Beedrill has been eliminated. Holly leads two pokemon to one."  
"Yeah!" Holly yelled, raising her fist to the ceiling.  
"Go Holly!" Seth yelled, again being hushed by the surrounding spectators but failing to care. He was far too proud of his brunette friend.  
"Choose your next pokemon."  
"Alexis, come over here." Holly called, kneeling down. Her faithful fire fox trotted over, sweating heavily. The poison was becoming extremely effective over the course of the battle.  
"Vul, pix!" Alexis said.  
"I know, I know. He's only got his Pinsir left. Hailey can handle it from here – I'm pretty sure Pinsir can't poison or confuse or anything. Your Flamethrower is my trump card, though. I'll need you as healthy as possible if Hailey can't quite handle it, alright?"  
"Vulpix!"  
"Awesome. Alright, return." She said, gently tapping her fox on the forehead with the pokeball. Vulpix returned in a red flash.

_This is going to be the first time I see her Sealeo in battle… time to see just how good she really is._

"Take it home, Pinsir."  
"You're up, Hailey!" Sealeo and Pinsir exploded onto the battlefield.  
"Oh, this is gonna be good." Seth said to the people next to him. "This is going to be the most fast paced, power-driven battle I've seen so far."  
"Defence Curl."  
"Harden."  
"Maybe not."  
"Aurora Beam!"  
"Here we go!" He chirped. Hailey's Defence Curl was done before Pinsir's Harden, and an Aurora Beam struck the stocky bug type before he could react. He stumbled backwards slightly from the impact of the icy energy, but stayed on his feet.  
"Decimate her." Kyle ordered simply. Pinsir charged forward, malevolence in its eyes.  
"Aurora Beam?..." Holly offered, suddenly unsure. She was expecting far more damage from the attack. Hailey fired a second Aurora Beam at the charging bug, which he took head-on without any move to dodge. The icy energy crashed over him, but failed to slow him down. A bright orange glow enveloped Pinsir as he slammed into Sealeo with a mighty crash. Sealeo, despite being nearly double Pinsir's weight, was knocked back gracelessly.

"Hailey, change tactics. Water Gun!" Holly ordered. Sealeo corrected herself, rolling onto her belly and spraying a stream of pressurised water at Pinsir, who was already charging forward again and showing no signs of slowing down. Pinsir stepped around the attack, still charging. He speared forward, ready to hit his attack again, but Hailey was ready, and leapt to the side. Pinsir's momentum carried him forward, and he was forced to skid to a stop to avoid trampling Holly. The brunette backed up several steps, shaking nervously.

"Don't dodge it, Pinsir, just decimate!" Kyle yelled, angered. Pinsir turned, and stormed towards Hailey once more. Holly opened her mouth to give a command, but words wouldn't come out. This Pinsir… was impressive, to say the least, and after seeing it charge right at her, she was intimidated into silence. Hailey did what she'd already been ordered, spraying Pinsir with a Water Gun. The stag beetle pokemon allowed the attack to strike him right in the face, never slowing down. Hailey changed tactics, firing a freezing Aurora Beam instead. The orange glow surrounded Pinsir again, and the devastating attack smacked into Hailey, flinging her across a large portion of the Gym. The entire audience seemed to gasp at once at Pinsir's might.

But Hailey's gambit had paid off. The water clinging to Pinsir after the Water Gun was beginning to freeze, and the large bug was panicking and thrashing around as much as it could, but the ice was spreading across his body.  
"H-Hailey!" Holly choked out, finding a huge opening to attack and finish the battle. "Defence Curl!" Hailey smiled slightly, knowing what was coming. She curled up, heightening her defence – but the true purpose behind the Defence Curl was coming.

"Do it." Seth said simply, knowing what was coming. This technique had been devastating in his battle against Stanley.  
"Ice Ball!" Holly ordered. Sealeo coated herself in a thick layer of ice, still in the same curled up ball, and flung herself at the freezing Pinsir. The Defence Curl would heighten the attacking force behind Ice Ball, and hopefully end the battle. Pinsir's entire torso had been coated in ice – there was no dodging the attack. The large seal pokemon neared…

And Pinsir caught her.

The crowd let out a gasp – especially Seth, whose victory cheer was caught in his throat. Several pieces of ice on both Pinsir and Sealeo shattered at the force of the collision, but Pinsir was clearly in charge. Sealeo thrashed slightly, unable to attack through her own cocoon of ice.  
"Awesome! Seismic Toss!" Kyle cheered, and Holly could do nothing but watch. Pinsir turned in place, hoisting the heavy seal above his head with a great heave and _slammed _her into the arena floor. The ice coating her completely shattered.

"Hailey!" Holly screamed, about to run out onto the field. It was one thing to watch a pokemon faint, but a completely different thing to watch her first pokemon be devastated like that. It took everything she had to not run onto the field and get herself disqualified.

Pinsir had already walked back towards Kyle, soaking up his victory, but still walking awkwardly from the ice that was hindering him. He hadn't been frozen solid, but he was considerably slower. Kyle was gloating on his side of the area, fully understanding that the only pokemon left was a poisoned, nearly beaten Vulpix.  
"Wait… Pinsir! Revenge!" Kyle called, and his pokemon turned around with the same urgency. Sealeo was getting up!

Pinsir charged at Sealeo as fast as he could.  
"Hailey! You've got to move!" Holly called, watching her seal slowly get up, struggling and shaking as she rose. She wasn't going to dodge this attack. She didn't have the strength. With one eye barely open, she fired the strongest Aurora Beam she could muster, smacking Pinsir in the face. The bug pokemon recoiled more than it had done so far, but lost very little momentum. It was surrounded in another orange glow before it collided viciously with its opponent. Sealeo skidded across the Gym, slowing to a stop almost at Holly's feet.

"Sealeo has been eliminated. The contestants are tied with one pokemon each. Choose your next pokemon." Growth announced. The battle was drawing to a close, and Holly was seemingly at a disadvantage. But, with Hailey's last attack, she had been left with a gift. Kyle's surprise at Sealeo standing up again had caused him to mistakenly call out the attack by its actual name – Revenge. It was an attack that powered up immensely when the pokemon using it was hit before Revenge could hit. The repeated Aurora Beams only served to power up Pinsir's attack, doing more damage to Hailey than Pinsir was receiving.  
"You did great, Hailey." Holly said with a smile, withdrawing her pokemon. She clipped Hailey back onto her belt, then looked up at Kyle with resolve.  
"Let's finish this." Kyle said. So far, his Pinsir had defeated both Sealeo and Ledyba, albeit a weakened Ledyba.  
"Sure thing. Come on out, Vulpix!" Holly said, throwing her fire fox back into the arena. Alexis appeared in a flash of red, bloodied and sickly, but standing and defiant.

"Begin!" the Professor announced for the last time of the battle.  
"Decimate!" Kyle growled, and Pinsir immediately responded, storming towards the poisoned fox.  
"Sidestep it. He can't hit you." Holly advised calmly, and her Vulpix did exactly as commanded, easily dodging the wildly charging Pinsir. Just as Holly expected, the orange glow did not occur this time – the bug was unable to absorb any energy from an attack.  
"Come on, Pinsir!" Kyle yelled, and Pinsir slowed down and turned, facing the fire pokemon.  
"Double-Edge." Holly ordered. With Pinsir still being covered in ice and Alexis already possessing superior speed, there was no contest. The Double-Edge attack would easily hit first, and not allow Revenge to even begin.

Alexis sprinted straight at Pinsir, who, instead of attempting a Revenge attack, simply powered out of its icy shell. Vulpix launched herself at the larger pokemon… and, just like Sealeo before her, she was simply snatched from the air.  
"Bind!" Kyle urged, and Pinsir placed Vulpix in its large pincers. Vulpix let out a strangled scream as the bug began squeezing with all its might, the spikes on its pincers digging into the open wound.  
"Flamethrower!" Holly yelled, trying to end the battle before Alexis could be injured. Her pokemon was already having the same idea, and her mouth was open… but Pinsir was squeezing too tight, flames simply wouldn't come out. Kyle, however, didn't realise this, and had to react to the Flamethrower.  
"Seismic Toss!" He ordered. Both he and Holly knew that the next attack to hit successfully would seal the victory. Vulpix was clearly beaten and battered after fighting Beedrill, and Pinsir, although it was neglecting the pain, had suffered significant frost burn and been damaged heavily – it was unable to stand still while using Bind, swaying slightly from side to side.

Pinsir reached up and took Vulpix out from its iron grip, holding her in his powerful hands and hoisting her up for a finishing blow.  
"Roar!" Holly ordered. The roar that followed was a mighty, roof-shaking thunder. Pinsir was frozen with fear, and opted to lob Alexis across the arena. Vulpix landed on her feet, and her front left leg immediately buckled. Poison would take her soon if Pinsir didn't.

"Wait… Pinsir has already used four moves… Revenge, Bind, Seismic Toss and Harden… it can't use any ranged attacks…" Holly whispered to nobody, trying to sort out a strategy quickly. "Ember!" She called. Alexis ran at Pinsir, closing the gap enough for her to be able to use the fire attack. While she ran, Pinsir managed to recover from the intense Roar she had let out. He spared a glance at his master, who simply nodded in confirmation, still too frightened from the Roar to give an order. Pinsir began another charge, hoping to be struck by Ember and end the battle with a boosted Revenge.

"Dodge." Holly ordered at the last second, and instead of spraying flames, Vulpix sidestepped the Revenge attack. Pinsir stumbled, and skidded to a stop.  
"Wait-" Kyle began, but it was too late.  
"Finish him!" Holly screamed, and Vulpix leapt into the air. Pinsir turned around, only to see Alexis occupy his vision completely. The resulting Flamethrower completely consumed Pinsir. Alexis poured on the flames for several long seconds before; at long last, Pinsir succumbed to his injuries and fell to the ground.

"Pinsir has been eliminated. Kyle Newt has no more pokemon – the winner of this battle is Holly Dixon!"  
"Yes!" Holly cried.  
"She did it!" Seth echoed her sentiment. He was absolutely overjoyed by the outcome – not surprised, but overjoyed. Holly withdrew Alexis, and spun slowly on the spot, absorbing the thunderous applause from the crowd.  
"That has got to be the closest pokemon battle we've seen so far this tournament!" Growth announced, and the audience cheered. "I said they'd need to step it up a notch this round, but these two just stepped it up by about five notches!"

Kyle calmly walked over to Holly's side of the Gym, absorbing Pinsir as he went. The cheers subsided and the crowd watched with baited breath. Kyle stood before Holly, smiling widely, and extended his hand. Holly smiled back, and the two shook hands as the audience stood and applauded for the two of them.

Seth watched with pride as Holly Dixon, the girl who could barely say a word in Leapton Town, had been staggeringly skilful (and loud!) when she was battling alongside her pokemon.  
"Oh... oh no." Seth mumbled to himself upon having an abrupt epiphany.

_I just might be starting to fall for Holly Dixon..._

* * *

**Pokedex:**  
**Name:** Seth Hopper  
**Location:** Smeltite City  
**Seen:** 20 (New - Spearow, Pidgeotto, Murkrow, Ralts, Butterfree, Pinsir, Beedrill)  
**Caught:** 3 (New – Poochyena)  
**Badges:** 0


End file.
